Foreign Affairs
by Kitzophrenic
Summary: Seven years after the war, a political intrigue brings two estranged childhood sweethearts together again. Power grabs, vengeful plots, hidden desires... Welcome back to Ba Sing Se.
1. One: The Waiting Game

New story. Just something my brain decided to spend time on. I'm kind of tired of the Zuko/Katara stuff out there, so here's my take on the canon romance. Those kids belong together.

Obviously, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and besides, suing me would prove relatively fruitless, as I am poor.

Enjoy!

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><p><strong><span>Foreign Affairs<span>**

_Chapter One: The Waiting Game_

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><p><em><strong>Katara<strong>_

_- 000 -**  
><strong>_

Sometimes, being the responsible one could be such a pain in the neck. Literally.

I took a moment to stretch, counting the ice bricks I'd formed as I craned my neck back and forth, trying to release the tension in the muscles. That should about do it. Sokka certainly had enough for whatever cockamamie project he was up to. Something to do with making the outer walls sturdier during the summer months, when the temperatures at the South Pole reached a balmy ten below freezing. Oh, the heat...

I shouldn't complain, though. My brother had really taken to the project, drawing up blueprints, and then crafting giant walls to protect the village. The Southern Water Tribe Village wasn't looking so much like a village any more, which in large part had to do with Sokka's ingenuity and hard work. He'd developed so many useful skills in the years since we'd achieved peace, skills we probably could have used back in the day. Oh well. We were kids then.

"Katara!" Speak of the devil. His grin was ear to ear as he ran up to me, following the beaten snow path from the centre of the city. He needed a shave, I noticed, or maybe that was his attempt to copy our father's look.

"Hey there, Mister Architect." I waved my hand over the bricks. "I've finished your order."

"Yowzah! These babies will do the trick all right." He proceeded to dance around them, scrutinizing each one with exaggerated expressions.

I sighed. It was amazing. My brother had managed to grow up without actually growing up. I guess it was the same with Aang, not that I'd seen him recently enough to be sure...

I ignored the pang that thought caused. I'd gotten good at setting my feelings aside to deal with more practical things. And there were always more than enough tasks to keep my mind occupied. Restoring the Southern Water Tribe to its former glory was enough of a project to last two lifetimes, let alone my one.

"Did you hear what I said, Katara?" Sokka's voice snapped me back to reality.

"What? Uh, no, sorry."

"I said, Suki got her monthly intelligence report from the Earth Kingdom."

My stomach did a flip. "Oh? Anything... interesting?" _Anything from Aang?_

Sokka held up a brick distractedly. "I got the idea for this wall from the one at Ba Sing Se. Did I tell you that?"

"Yeah, Sokka. But I didn't hear you the first five dozen times, so it's good you mentioned it."

He snorted. "Funny girl. I think I'm starting to rub off on you."

"Gods, I hope not." I twisted my foot into the crunchy snow. "So, about that report..."

"Huh? Oh, I didn't actually ask Suki what was in it."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course you didn't."

He grinned in that goofy way that made me feel a wave of sisterly affection_._

"She wants to talk to you anyway, so you might as well go see her. Girly wedding talk, I think. She said something about ice flowers, but the rest was kind of over my head." He swatted his hand back and forth in a dismissive notion. He'd been extra macho lately, ever since I'd caught him writing sappy love poetry last week.

I smiled and shook my head at him. "How you managed to get that girl to marry you is beyond me."

He called out as I walked away. "That's because your mind is too simple to comprehend my mysterious ways."

_Yeah, that must be it._

I followed the winding path into the heart of the place I grew up in. Our little village, previously inhabited only by women, children, and the elderly, had grown into something I'd only ever dreamed about as a girl. I passed the schoolhouse, a sturdy ice building I'd help erect. The children inside were reciting something, but I couldn't make out the words.

This winter had been good to the Southern Water Tribe. Many successful births had increased the population to almost three hundred. Of course it helped that several dozen men and women from the Northern Water Tribe had traveled the great distance to augment our diminished numbers, including some of the waterbenders I'd worked with when I'd first apprenticed at the North Pole.

Over the years, much to my delight, four children had been born here with the potential to waterbend. I'd taken them under my wing, trying to instill in them the beliefs and convictions that my elders had taught me, as well as preparing them for the elemental power they would soon be able to harness. Of course, it wasn't easy. I was a young woman, and certainly no Pakku. I was a waterbending master, and a capable adult by my tribe's standards, and yet...

Being a capable adult was boring as hell.

As I'd aged, I'd noticed other changes too. Changes that both flattered and unnerved me. Men in the village started to take notice of me. I was twenty-two, well past our tribe's marrying age, and I was one of few woman my age not to settle down. I know it was my duty to replenish the Southern waterbenders, and that several men would be happy to help me out in that area, but... None of them were my type, I guess. None of them could zip around on a ball of air. None of them could make me laugh when all I felt was misery of the acutest kind. None of them were Aang.

I bit down on that thought harshly. I was not the kind of girl to get all mopey over the opposite sex.

Aang was halfway around the world, doing his duty to the world. Being the Avatar meant he had to travel a lot, sometimes escorting Fire Lord Zuko as he tried to rebuild his nation's reputation, sometimes alone. He'd been in the Earth Kingdom for the last few years. I missed him, of course. We were friends, more than that, maybe. The little girl part of me missed his sweet kisses and childish declarations of love. But we weren't children anymore. He could have come for me at any time. But he didn't. I was just going to have to live with that.

He was doing important work in the Imperial City. He probably didn't have time to think about that girl from the water tribe he loved as a boy. I'd certainly tried not to think too much about him, biding my time, working to replenish my culture.

The thing is, and it hurt me to think it, I just don't know how much longer I could keep waiting.

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><p><em><strong>Aang<strong>_

_- 000 -**  
><strong>_

"The Almighty Avatar waits for no man!"

Applause. The curtains closed and the audience rose. My shoulders heaved with the weight of my sigh.

A demure little 'e-hem' from beside me made me turn my head. Ah, I'd almost forgotten... My date.

I remembered my manners just in time.

"How did you find the play, Miss Kimiko?"

"Oh, it was captivating! It portrayed you in such a brave and favourable light, as it should. Did you find it agreeable, my lord?"

I winced at the honorific. The upper crust had this nasty habit of being unbearably stuffy. It took some getting used to... More time than the two years I'd spent here, apparently, because it still bugged the heck out of me.

Kimiko smiled primly, which is the only way I'd seen her do anything. To be fair, I'd never met the girl before tonight. She was another in the long line of proffered companionship from the Ba Sing Se Royal Court's Society Administrator. Apparently upper class tradition claims it would be unheard of to let the Avatar go unescorted to any social event. Not that this play, reenacting my defeat of Fire Lord Ozai, was anything to get excited about. The casting wasn't very accurate; the "Avatar" had too much chest hair, and the woman playing Katara wasn't nearly pretty enough.

Ah, Katara... But it was hard to muse over that particular problem with my overly made-up date staring me straight in the face, waiting patiently for my response.

"The play? It was... um, interesting." Her calm mask twitched at my dishonesty. Apparently, even after twenty years of social interaction, my ability to lie had not improved.

"Shall we depart?" She asked. I nodded, and the rest of the night was a blur of niceties and protocol, leading up to her home, an ornate, yellow-roofed building in the Inner Ring. She leant in, as they all did, for a chaste goodnight kiss.

I stepped back. A hurt look crossed her face.

"Did you not enjoy yourself, my lord?" Her eyes got watery. I began to panic.

"Oh no."

"You didn't?" Her voice raised an octave, and salt water streamed down her pink cheeks.

"I, ah, no! I didn't mean... Uh, yes! I did! It's just, I- I-" Before I could attempt an explanation, she ran, sobbing, into the house.

I mentally kicked myself. Great, just great. Another society high-flier to gossip and stick her nose up at me. My list of allies in the Inner Ring was getting a little thin. Some diplomat I turned out to be.

Diplomat, yeah, what a laugh. The only reason I was here in Ba Sing Se was to act as a peacemaker as King Kuei made the transition back onto the throne. After traveling the world for several years, his pet bear Bosco at his side, the previously naive ruler had transformed into a man who finally understood his people and how to rule the Earth Nation effectively. In his absence, the Order of the White Locus had established a democratic council, and they were having some problems letting go of their power. It wasn't my ideal use of the Avatar status, but my presence alone seemed to be keeping hostilities at bay.

So, I played along. I tried to participate in, or at the very least stay awake during, strategy meetings, royal events, re-coronation plans, plays, parties... But it was all a far cry from the old days, where my work had felt vital, important, urgent. This... This felt like a terrible joke I was playing on myself.

As I passed the elaborate statues, the embellished walls, one fussy gold and green edifice after another, I felt my spirits drop. As if in response, my hand quivered against the staff I was holding. Without thinking, I snapped it open, gold fabric stretching across the wooden poles. The new glider was a present from King Kuei, and some adjustments had been made. This was an impressive piece of handiwork, with an expansive wingspan to match my new height and weight. It made it easier to fly, but I couldn't help but miss my old orange one. It reminded me of better times. Not better as in the war, of course, but those were times filled with friendship and togetherness. Sokka, Toph, _Katara._

I took off into the air effortlessly, mentally counting the months since I'd seen her. No, not months. Two years. How had the time passed so quickly? The last time had been an official visit to the South Pole, with Earth Kingdom ambassadors at my heels. She had seemed glad to see me, but distant. Her hug had been warm, but maybe the winters there were colder than I remember, because her embrace had lacked the heat I'd been missing. With government officials dogging my every step, there had been no time to steal her away. Things weren't going at all as I'd planned. I was a man now, in mind and body. And she was a woman. I recalled the letter Suki had sent along with her last monthly report from the South Pole. There was one line that caught me off guard.

_Katara is patient, but there are men here who would make her less so._

Men. I wasn't good at reading between the lines, but I'm guessing that Suki was trying to subtly inform me that Katara had suitors. Suitors! Not that she wasn't deserving of them, that wasn't it at all. I remember being blown away by the beauty she'd grown into. As a girl, Katara was always pretty, but now... She had developed curves and a feminine air that did very un-monk-like things to me. I smacked my head against the centre pole of the glider. How could I have let this happen? I remember how clear it had all been when I was a boy. I'd had it all mapped out. Katara and I were going to be together after the war ended. Period. But then, I got older, and the list of responsibilities just never seemed to get any less... responsible. I'd visited the South Pole every few weeks at first, and then every few months, but time seemed to get shorter as you got taller. I'd been overwhelmed, wanting to help everyone at once. Help the Earth Nation rebuild their cities, help Zuko search for his mother, help the air temples regain their former glory. And now... _Suitors. _My absence was certainly helping them.

It's not like I could just leave for the South Pole tonight, like I wanted, not with the re-coronation approaching so quickly. Tensions were high in the Imperial City. It was more than that, though. Katara had grown up. Maybe she'd grown out of her feelings for me. A lot can change in a few years. What if I arrived, only to find her wearing a engagement necklace of her very own?

I cursed, something I did very rarely. Toph had educated me in the ways of bad language, determined to keep her identity despite reconnecting with her upper class family. She was in the city, visiting with her parents and trying to teach some of the city's residents Metalbending. Maybe she would know what to do... I changed directions and flew toward her residence.

Love is hard when you're young. Avatar Roku said that to me once. I'd replied naively, "You don't have to tell me."

He told me that it gets better.

He just didn't say when.

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><p>Thoughts? Concerns? Rampant criticisms? Let me know!<p>

-Kitzophrenic


	2. Two: Strategic Lovemaking

Disclaimer!

Time for another chapter. I'm trying to keep everyone as in-character as I can, even though they've grown up a little. Let me know if I'm succeeding, yeah? Also, for those of you who noticed, I did change the title from 'Changing Tides' to 'Foreign Affairs.' The previous title was more of a placeholder, and I feel this one is a better match to where I'm going with this story.

Enjoy!

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><p><strong><span>Foreign Affairs<span>**

_Chapter Two: Strategic Lovemaking_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Katara<strong>_

_ - 000 -_**  
><strong>

Life goes on in the Water Tribe. Much like the tide, the attitudes of the South Pole residents followed a sort of recurring, dread-inducing, ebb and flow. There was a certain kind of psychosis that was bred into the people who were tough and dedicated enough to develop a civilization in the most inhospitable place on earth.

Normally, things ran smoothly, without complication. But when the crazy tide came in, it felt more like a tsunami.

"So, what do you say?"

Say? There were no words yet. I could see my reflection in the pendant; that was all I could focus on at the moment. I'm sure there was a necklace attached somewhere, but my eyes refused to budge from the shiny, engraved oval. The single etching was clear and legible: _Forever_, it said. The tribal symbol for that word was a circle inside a circle inside a circle. I swallowed.

"Uh... Katara..?" The voice was confused, slightly nervous, with a hint of sheer, unadulterated hope.

The lump in my throat dissolved long enough for me to utter a weak, "... P-Pardon me?"

Sangok smiled. It was, objectively, a very pleasant smile, on a very pleasant face. He'd come a long way from that boy I'd beat up under Pakku's tutelage on the North Pole. He could now even possibly hold his own against a sea sponge. But that didn't matter now, not with that telling silver pendant between us.

"Oh," he laughed, "you're surprised? I thought for sure you'd see this coming a mile away."

"See what?" I croaked. He held up the offensive jewelry again, and I pushed my hand out to stop him from coming closer with it.

"That... That is a very interesting necklace you have there. I-I see that."

"Does that mean you like it?" He asked.

I tried to think. I honestly did. But my poor brain just wasn't cooperating. "Um, objectively... Sure."

"How long have we known each other, Katara?" He asked, stepping closer, "Eight years?"

"That sounds... about right."

"And would you say that, _objectively_, when I arrived on that boat from the North Pole to stay in this village, you were happy to see me?"

I couldn't lie. I'd been happy to see every soul that was willing to help me with my dream of restoring this tribe to its former glory. Sangok had been of great help in that area.

"Yes, I was."

"What about over the course of the last two years? Were you happy to see me then?"

That was a little more complicated. Poor, sweet Sangok had made it all much more complicated than it had to be.

"Well, yes," I replied carefully, "but that's because we're friends."

"Funny, because I've always felt like we were destined for more than that." He held up the necklace to examine his craftsmanship. "This etching technique has been in my family since the beginning. It was passed down for countless generations. I thought you would appreciate that."

"I do!" I winced at my choice of expression. "It's beautiful, really, but..."

He looked at me and waited.

My fingers subconsciously snapped to the strap around my neck. "... But I'm kind of full up on necklaces right now, sorry!" He seemed a little hurt, so I added, "I thought we'd settled this last week. Didn't we have a good talk?" I _had_ thought that the horribly awkward hour of debate last week had cleared up this mess. I guess I was wrong.

He seemed heartened by my words. "But that was just talk. This is action. You want a man who can take action, right? Like the Avatar." He said the word like an epithet.

_Like the Avatar..?_ Was that what he felt he had to live up to? I felt a guilty ball of acid form in my stomach.

"You know, who this necklace would look really great on..?" I tried suddenly, filtering through all the pretty, eligible faces in my mind.

"My future wife..?"

I exhaled in relief. "Yes, exactly!"

He grinned. "So, you'll marry me?"

Oh no. This... this wouldn't do. For some reason, I was paralyzed by the gleaming symbol: _Forever, forever, forever... _A circle inside a circle inside a circle...

So, I did the only thing I could think of... and froze him.

Suki, bundled up in three parkas, hobbled towards me. "What the..?" She stared at the frozen statue of Sangok and then back at me. "... What did he do to you?"

I shot him an apologetic look. "Sorry, Sang, but you would've had better luck with the sea sponge."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Aang<strong>_

_- 000 -_

"Hey there, Twinkle-toes. How was your date?"

I smiled, unsurprised that she'd "seen" me come in, despite the stealthy entry from her balcony.

"Hey, Toph. It was..." I trailed off. "How did you know about that?"

"Are you kidding? Every noble worth their stuff knows when the Avatar takes a fine lady out on the town." She stepped into the light and grinned wickedly, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. I didn't like her expression.

"I'll have you know, I was a perfect gentleman."

A speculative pause. "She cried, huh?"

I let my head fall into my hands.

"Maybe, kind of... Yeah."

She snorted. "I'm surprised that Perfect Gentleman State is one power the Avatar doesn't possess."

I was suddenly reminded of the time in the Fire Nation when Katara was impersonating the Painted Lady. I'd hid beneath the dock, bending the elements to protect her as she'd stared down those men from the Fire Nation's weapon facility. She'd walked across that pier with enough confidence of five spirits; I was in awe of her. Of course, at the time, I wasn't focusing that hard on her acting. She stood right above me, and I would be a liar if I said I didn't use those cracks in the wood panels to peek up her skirt a little. Perfect Gentleman State... If I'd had to master that in order to defeat Ozai, things probably wouldn't have gone so well.

"So, what's with the late night home invasion?" She sat on the floor, feet planted firmly so she could follow me as I paced.

"Sorry to bug you, it's just..." I looked up at her and did a double take. "Are you... Are you wearing a dress?"

"What of it?" She asked defensively.

"You _hate_ dresses."

"And _you_ hate prim little twits from rich families," she shot back, "You still went out with one."

I blinked, straining to see in the dark. "And... make-up?"

She shot to her feet. Even at the age of seventeen, Toph hadn't grown much, and the top of her head only came up to my collarbone.

"I'm trying something new. Geez. You're so nosy." She turned her face away from me, but I could see the slight tinge of red across her cheeks. This baffled me. Toph in a dress. Katara had suitors. This was a crazy world.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to... ah, it looks nice."

Mollified, she shrugged and sat down again. "I hope you didn't come here to give me fashion advice."

I settled into a cross-legged position on the floor. "No. I just thought I'd say hello, ask how your mentalbending lessons are going. And maybe get your thoughts on something."

At the mention of metalbending, her face turned scarlet again. I hoped she wasn't coming down with some kind of fever.

"Lessons are fine. The earthbenders in this town just have their heads stuck in the mud, that's all. What's the problem?"

I swallowed. "Uh, say, hypothetically, someone you know, uh, someone you cared about... was, uh, entertaining the possibility of, er... getting... uh, married and... -"

Toph interrupted me with an unladylike snort. "Katara's getting friendly with the locals, eh? About time."

"What? I never said she was getting... friendly!" I coughed. "And besides, this was simply a hypothetical situation."

"Yeah, sure, Aang. You can keep things as hypothetical as you want on your end, but out here in the real world, things are a little different. You didn't think Miss Bossy-Britches was going to just lay low until you magically stop being the Avatar, did you?"

I didn't know what to say.

"I'm going to take that as a yes."

I shook my head slowly, as if to rattle my thoughts in a more helpful direction.

"Not 'lay low,' but I thought... Maybe she would wait for me."

Toph grunted dismissively.

"Wait for what exactly? Because she's been pretty damn patient, if you ask me. It's been seven years, Aang."

"I know that!"

"Okay," she said quietly. Waiting and listening, as always.

I wonder if Toph knew how expressive her face was. Probably not. But for a blind girl, her eyes said wonders.

"Okay," I echoed. "So what do I do?"

She stretched out, laying spread eagle on the rug. It was a gesture that reminded me so much of the old times. Sure, I'd mastered Earthbending, but in some ways, Toph was still very much my teacher.

"You still want her, yeah?"

Want... That was one word for it.

"Uh..." My throat felt very dry all of a sudden. "It's been so long, and what if she doesn't feel the same? What if she's moved on? What if-"

"-What if, what if! Bah!" She threw her hands up in the air in disgust. "You're not going to get anywhere with that attitude! You're too damn wimpy, you know that? The truth is that she might not want you anymore. She might have found someone else. She might even have found someone who isn't such a goddamn coward."

For the first time in a while, I felt my blood rise to a boil.

"I am not a coward!"

"Then why haven't you made a move, Aang? After all these years, really? You must be scared."

"I'm not scared..." My voice rose in false bravado. "I'm the Avatar! I don't get scared!"

She sat still for a moment, letting my words sink into the silence.

I swallowed. Toph smiled slightly.

"... Exactly. And that's your biggest problem, twinkle-toes. You let being the Avatar come before everything else." Her shoulders drooped. "To be fair, it's a pretty great excuse."

"Excuse?"

"Yeah. For letting your own life come second."

I thought about that for a moment. I'd never considered the possibility that I was using my position as an excuse. The very idea made my stomach hurt.

The tiny girl let out an elephantcow-sized sigh.

"So, you can't do a thing with her at the bottom of the world, right?"

I shrugged. "It's not like I can just leave. You know the situation."

She snorted. "Yeah, yeah, the council and the bear are at each others throats..."

"Actually, I think Bosco is very neutral on the matter."

"Not what I meant, Aang." She sighed. "What you need is a reason to get Katara out of the snow and into the city." She paused.

"Uh-huh..."

"Maybe some official event, or political intrigue requiring a diplomat from the Water Tribe..?"

"Yeah, that sounds great! But what?"

She stared at me blankly. "And you can't think of _any_ super important occasion coming up _very_ soon that you could possibly use as a reason to get here up here..?"

I stared.

"Involving a crown, a king, and an apparently politically-neutral bear creature?"

The impending re-coronation... "Oh. Right. I knew that."

She chuckled. "Just promise me one thing, Aang. When you and Katara get your acts together, don't have any kids. They're sure to end up one brick short of an earthbender."

"You're such a good friend, Toph. Thanks."

"I do what I can." She stood and cocked her head to the right, as if she'd felt vibrations in another room. "Now you should leave before my folks find you here and start trying to set me up to be a part of your next big love excursion."

"Uh, right. That could be awkward."

She grinned. "What? You don't think I'd make an entertaining date?"

I shook my head with a smile. "You'd probably be the most fun date I'd ever had."

"Ha! We could earthbend rocks at the snobby ladies on high! Or invade the royal spa with an extreme mudslide!"

I chuckled. "Something tells me the Avatar isn't supposed to condone that kind of activity, let alone mastermind it."

"Bah. You've lost your spark, Mister Avatar. Besides, I'm the mastermind. You'd only be my henchman."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a light flicker just outside Toph's door. She must have felt the footsteps, because she put a finger to her lips and made shooing gestures with her other hand. I slipped out the way I came in, and let a warm breeze take my glider up into the night sky.

Sometimes, I miss being younger. Back when I was a scrawny kid, no one would think twice about leaving me in a room with a girl. Probably because with a wig I could've passed for one. Now _those_ were the days...

I didn't dwell on it too much, but instead my mind went to a new possibility. Me, slipping into Katara's bed chambers in the middle of the night. Would she be scandalized, secretly pleased? Horrified at my boldness? There were too many scenarios, some which made me feel light-headed and completely oblivious to the city lights passing beneath me. Maybe _these_ were the days.

Or maybe it was time to stop being a pervert...

Nah.

But first, it was time for the Avatar diplomat to be a little... diplomatic. I composed the letter in my head. _'Dear Katara...'_ No, that was too personal. _'Dear Water Tribe'_... Too vague. I didn't want the entire tribe up here, especially not any potential romantic threats._ 'Dear... Eligible Females of the South Pole...?' _Gods, no. That made me sound like a pimp. _'Dear... uh...' _

Oh dear. This so wasn't my strong suit.

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><p>Remember everyone: reviews are the soul food of fanfiction creation.<p>

Thanks for reading!


	3. Three: State of Denial

Consider this work of fiction Disclaimed!

Thanks for all the lovely reviews, everyone! They're like inspirational crack, really. This chapter features a little of Suki's POV. I feel she is a vastly underused, and yet very interesting character. Should I stick with mostly first-person Aang and Katara, or would you enjoy a wider range of narration? Let me know!

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong><span>Foreign Affairs<span>**

_Chapter Three: State of Denial_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Suki<strong>_

_- 000 -_**  
><strong>

As a Kyoshi Warrior, if there is one thing I recognize precisely when I see it, it's discipline. And Katara of the Southern Water Tribe had that particular trait in spades. I read the monthly report aloud, one eye on the page, the other on her face.

"... situation is escalating, despite efforts on the Avatar's behalf to dispel tension." _There._ One blue eye twitched ever so slightly at the mention of his title. To the casual observer, Katara sat calmly beside her father, dutifully listening with the most appropriate level of interest. Not overly eager, but just attentive enough to be... diplomatic.

"This is becoming a concern," Bato, second in command, added. My mind drifted as he took over the conversation. I knew the situation very well, and having it repeated over and over was getting a little boring. Earth Kingdom politics were frustrating to hear about when I felt so very far away. It was starting to become a problem. Maybe that's why I started paying more attention to Katara's situation: it was a welcome distraction.

I'd been at the South Pole as the Official Emissary from the Earth Kingdom for about ten months now. The job basically consisted of writing and reading correspondence. I wasn't terribly qualified for the position, save the fact that I had basic literacy skills under my belt and a reason to live at the South Pole: Sokka. I guess they couldn't find anyone else who wanted to endure the biting cold for months on end. Lucky me.

Curiously, in the entirety of my time here, I'd never caught Katara so much as flinch or smile at the mention of Aang's name. Not once.

I receive about one report a month, ten letters overall. And yet not one sign she was pining away for the youthful bald savior. There were other numbers in this equation as well: Four engagement necklaces, each made by an attractive, eligible male with Katara's neck in mind. Four proposals, four flat-out rejections. She'd even gone so far as to freeze poor Sangok to the spot.

If she didn't want Aang, and she didn't want the men here, then who..? Did she want to be alone? I just didn't understand.

I didn't understand it, that is, until I started to look closer.

I'd never really gotten to know Katara until I'd come to live in this vast desert of ice and water. Sure, we were friends when we were younger, but mostly just in those awkward 'sister-of-the-boyfriend', 'fighting-together-to-save-the-world' kind of ways. When Aang downed Ozai, I'd gone back to Ba Sing Se and worked with my fellow warriors for a few years to secure the city against the remaining fire nation forces. The gang had all visited each other a lot in those first few years, but then we'd drifted apart. Sokka came up to see me in Kyoshi, with the pretense of improving his swordsmanship about a year and a half ago, and, well, we knew we couldn't be apart again. At first he'd chosen to stay in Kyoshi for a while, but now it was my turn to be where he needed me.

To be honest, I don't really care for the South Pole. I am in a constant state of worry because I can never feel my toes. The cold is not my friend.

But back to Katara. With the lack of romantic progress on her part, I honestly wondered for a while if she preferred female company- now _that_ had been one terribly awkward conversation, let me tell you. I'd asked her about Aang a few times, just to test the waters, but she'd seemed so completely aloof regarding the topic that I was thrown. So, instead of speculating wildly, I made observations.

She may be able to hide it from her brother, her father, and her tribe, but I could see it. I could see it in the veiled expressions: the slight hurt look behind her eyes every time a report came without word from Aang, or in the way she was so completely oblivious to her growing population of suitors.

Katara was in love with him. Even now. In a way, I knew how she felt. I'd been apart from Sokka for many years before we finally found each other again.

An ice horn trumpeted from outside, interrupting Bato's analysis, and my off-topic inner monologue. I thought I recognized the fluid pattern of sounds. They signaled a visitor, if I wasn't mistaken.

The answer came to me through the widening of Katara's almond-shaped eyes. She rose a little more quickly than the others and shot an urgent glance at the door.

A visitor indeed. Perhaps a sky bison.

Her curious excitement, although muffled, was a palatable thing.

... Then again, maybe you shouldn't listen to me; it might just be the frostbite talking.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Katara<strong>_

_- 000 -_**  
><strong>

"... Does that say what I think it says?" Sokka voice was a mixture of confusion, disappointment and exasperation. "It's kind of... formal."

I reread the three simple sentences. "There's not much to second guess here."

"And that letter is actually from..."

"... Aang, yes." His name felt strange rolling off my tongue. I hadn't realized how long it had been since I'd said it. Aang. Aaaang.

Suki sighed. "What an idiot."

Her expression baffled me. When Appa had been seen sailing on the horizon, the guard had sounded the horn. It was a little embarrassing how quickly I'd jumped up from my chair, my heart thudding in my ears. I didn't think anyone noticed, but I felt silly nonetheless.

Suki, sitting across from me at the time as the council discussed the Earth Kingdom report, had seemed almost as excited as I'd been. As soon as it was discovered that Appa bore no passenger, however, her spirits seemed to drop as rapidly as my own. That was natural, I suppose. Aang was her friend as well, and possibly she missed people who weren't totally at home with icebergs.

The letter we'd found bound to Appa's horn had been from Aang; I recognized the messy scrawl. It was a simple, concise invitation to the Southern Water Tribe to send up representatives for King Kuei's incoming return to the throne. To be honest, I'd been expecting this for some time now, if maybe in not such a short, slightly impersonal message.

I shoved my disappointment down hard. Aang was a busy man. He probably didn't have time for proper letter-writing. It felt odd to think of him as anything other than a hyperactive, lovable boy. Sure, when I'd last seem him two years ago, he'd obviously developed the stature and attitude of an adult with a lot on his mind, but still... I admit, I was deathly curious to reevaluate my image of him.

Sokka was lounging by the fire in the centre of the room, sucking on stewed sea prunes. He sat up abruptly.

"So, who's going to be part of the excursion?" He asked. "I know I'd love to see Aang. What about you, Suki?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her strangely, cocking his head towards me in a way I didn't entirely like. She gave him a confused glance, before pursing her lips and breaking out in a conspiracy-ridden grin.

"Why, of course! Heaven knows I could use a break from the bloody cold."

"Cold?" Sokka sniffed. "We're having some above seasonal highs, I'll have you know."

The horror on her face was hard to miss. "This is _above seasonal_..? If you think I'm going to play house, er, igloo all year long for you, you've got another thing coming! Kyoshi warriors aren't meant to be snowed in. I can't fight in a parka."

"But you look so cute and helpless when you have hypothermia..."

I listened to them banter for a moment. It seemed lighthearted, but it was one thing I was desperately worried about in regards to their relationship. They may jest now, but when the time came for the actual marriage- a date they kept pushing farther and farther back- they were going to have to make the big decisions. Where to live was the current challenge. Sokka was in love with the South Pole. Suki obviously was not, and the South Pole returned the icy sentiment whole-heartedly. I tried not to be nosy, but I couldn't help overhearing their late night discussions, voiced in serious low voices beside the fireplace.

Love was complicated. I understood that. I glanced down at the letter in my hands.

_Dear Water Tribe and Friends,_

_You have been invited to attend the official re-coronation of His Former Highness, King Kuei, two fortnights from now in the heart of Ba Sing Se. It would be an honor to receive a small party of diplomats at the palace, where fine lodgings and hospitality await you. Appa will be happy to see you safely to the Earth Kingdom [It's okay, I asked him]._

_Sincerely,_

_Aang_

I had to smile at the last part. While the majority of the note was awkwardly pompous, that final line gave me hope that maybe Aang was still... Aang. He hadn't asked for me specifically, but that didn't have to be a bad sign, did it? I was his friend, just like Sokka and Suki. I touched the messy ink blotch beside his name. It was obviously some kind of an unfortunate quill defect that he hadn't bothered to correct... I bet Aang made a very amusing diplomat. Capable, certainly, but definitely not what the Earth Kingdom was used to.

"So, you're coming, I take it?" Suki asked, breaking my concentration.

"Uh, yes, of course." I bit my lip, surprised to realize that I'd been smiling to myself. "I am the official representative from the Southern Water Tribe. It would only be logical." My mind went to a practical place. "But just the three of us arriving could be seen as insulting. We should be a party of at least five, no more than eight, and we need an appropriate gift... Something useful, but not a show-off. Something unique, but not boastful..."

Sokka smirked. "How about a snowball? That's a cool idea." His eyebrows waggled again. "Get it, because snow is coo-" He was interrupted by an ice ball to the face.

"Chill out, Sokka," I beamed.

"Not fair. Dad said no waterbending in the house..."

"I used waterbending to _build_ the house, Sokka."

Suki just sighed melodramatically. "This is further proof that maybe you're too childish to get married... " A look of exaggerated thoughtfulness crossed her face for a second. "Then again, if I wait until Sokka reaches maturity, I'll have grey hair..."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Don't worry, dear, you can do whatever you want in _our_ igloo."

"... We are NOT living in an igloo, Sokka."

"What about an ice hut?"

"No."

"A snow fort?"

"No!"

"A... frozen water chalet?"

I quickly escaped before having to witness my brother's murder. It was always best to let the lovebirds work out their problems alone. The violence was a refreshing change from their constant public canoodling, honestly.

Er, scratch that. I'm pretty sure using the word 'canoodling' instantly qualified me as an old maid.

I shrugged it off, my mind racing with preparations. I strode towards the centre of the village with purpose, but it felt almost as if my head was already in Ba Sing Se.

What does one say to the man who used to be the boy you loved? _Hey there you. So, about all those times we kissed... Could we do that again sometime? Like, now, and possibly all the way to forever?_

Oh yeah. Super casual.

I bit my tongue at the pitiful thought, and made an immediate, no-nonsense promise to myself. This was it. This trip was the last. If nothing happened in the Earth Kingdom, then I was done. Done with the torture of unfulfilled promise, done with not living my life. Done waiting, done hoping. For the sake of my sanity, my head and my heart needed it to be resolved one way or another.

There were attractive men here, most of whom I found at least somewhat interesting. Men like Sangok... or, rather, _less_ like Sangok. Or I could even try the North Pole. I didn't have to lay all my hopes on one beautiful man with arrow tattoos. That, I told myself fiercely, was ridiculous.

Even so, the girl in me hoped; the woman in me waited. The rest of me merely soldiered on, readying my small bags for the big city.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Aang<strong>_

_- 000 -_**  
><strong>

My day had begun with all the makings of greatness.

This morning I'd received word that Zuko was going to be arriving within the week, and I very much looked forward to seeing my old friend again. To top that, Sokka's messenger bird, Hawkie (technically Hawkie the Second; the first Hawkie had been accidentally frozen; long story) had been resting on my balcony when I'd returned from my daily mediation at the palace. There was a scroll strapped to his leg that said Katara was with Appa and that both would arrive in a day. Sokka and Suki were close behind with the rest of the delegation. Their augmented numbers were obviously meant as a sign of respect; Katara was dead set on showing the rest of the world that her tribe wasn't just a bunch of savages in igloos.

My mind raced with what the immediate future could hold. Katara, Sokka, Suki, Toph, even Zuko. We were almost together again. Everything was turning out beautifully.

That is, until now.

I'd never detested politics so much in my life.

Early this afternoon, I'd received a rather surprising invitation to have tea with Sir Heiwa, unofficial head of the Council of Ten, in his family home in the Inner Ring. Not wanting to be rude, I'd accepted. I now found myself, ornate tea cup in hand, trying to seem relaxed as we conversed about the most random, trivial of things.

Sir Heiwa was an amiable, if a bit stuffy, former judge. He was also one of the ten political minds that ran Ba Sing Se. The Council of Ten had been formed when King Kuei did not immediately return to reclaim the throne and no adequate king could be found. He was an educated man, far from a mere functionary and had been an essential part of the policy-making in Ba Sing Se for the last six years. The council was a far more unbiased option than "Supreme Bureaucratic Administrator," the title Joo-Dee had claimed when she was being manipulated by Long Feng those few bleak years ago.

And so, obviously, Gods be damned if I blew him off in order to go daydream about a beautiful girl.

Now here I sat. My foot fidgeted.

He said something regarding the state of his gardens. I responded in kind, my suspicions, and impatience, growing.

It had to be a trick.

Maybe he was trying to win my favour over King Kuei. Maybe he was masterminding a plan to overthrow him... A preemptive cope d'etat perhaps? What if he was approaching me with a plan to sabotage the coronation?

So, when he finally made his intentions clear, it was no surprise that I was thrown.

"You want me to go on a date your daughter?" I gaped. "Seriously?"

He leaned forward in his chair, hands pressed together in a solemn gesture in front of his trailing beard. "Yes."

"B-But _why_?"

"You're the Avatar."

I tried to reign my shock in a little, and to make sense of the request. "Oh, I get it. You want me to protect her in case this conflict between you and the king escalates. I don't need to date her for that."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then smiled wryly. "Well, actually, it's because you're kind of the popular thing amongst the young ladies, and my dearest Laila doesn't want to feel left out." He chuckled. "But, your reason sounds much more responsible, doesn't it?"

I stared.

I must have looked unconvinced, because he sighed loudly. "Look, Aang, this would mean a lot to me. Ever since I took this position on the Council, my home life has suffered immensely. My wife and daughter have come to resent my position; the long hours have been difficult. It would be nice if I could show I was thinking of them."

"No disrespect meant, sir, but I, uh, don't think it's such a good idea."

"Why not? You yourself think she could use some protection, and why not enjoy yourself while you're doing it? Laila's quite charming."

"Don't you think your daughter would be a little insulted that you had to, um, _coerce_ me into dating her?"

He laughed, louder than I expected. "Oh please! She's been after me to set this up for months!"

I didn't quite know what to say to that.

The skin around his eyes crinkled the way it usually did when old men thought they were being crafty.

"If you do this for me, I'll go easy on Kuei until the coronation. Sound fair?"

I could've smacked myself. Only the Avatar, master of the elements, could dig himself a hole this deep. I tried to conjure up an excuse, but for some reason all I could think of was Katara. She was due to arrive at any moment, and I really doubted the best way to pick up a romantic relationship was by spending time with another woman.

Oh, that would sound great. The Avatar refused a simple request, with an immensely positive political benefit, all because he didn't want to look bad to a girl.

Fantastic, Aang. Bloody fantastic. Diplomat of the Year.

My voice cracked slightly. "Uh, I suppose _one_ date couldn't hurt."

"Excellent! Tonight it is!" He clapped once. "Now my wife will finally get off my back about it. Aang, my boy, you may have just saved my marriage."

I laughed weakly. "Anything in the name of diplomacy, sir..."

The wheels in my head turned. There was little chance Katara would arrive before tonight. Perhaps, with a little help from a certain high-born earthbender, I could make this work and she could remain none the wiser.

Then again, maybe if _I'd _been a little wiser, I would've seen the impending disaster coming a mile away.

* * *

><p><em>AN:_

I know some of you might be impatient with the pace of this story, but try to keep in mind that seven years have passed. It would feel really cheap to just toss Aang and Katara together without first establishing how they've changed, and how the world has evolved since they were kids. I'm also trying to convey [not without some humour, of course] how long they've been waiting to see each other again. My plans for this story involve a lot of misunderstanding, sexy drama, hilarity and chaos. But never fear, people, I won't draw it out much more: the next chapter has Katara arriving in Ba Sing Se. However, things don't turn out exactly as she'd planned... Which, knowing Katara, will piss her off to no end.

Please review, and thanks for reading!


	4. Four: First, A Second Impression

Sorry this took so long. My laptop got dropped in a sink. [The sink won.] I had to rewrite chapters 4, 5 and 6 from scratch. Le sigh.

Anyway, enjoy!

[Insert disclaimer here.]

* * *

><p><strong>Foreign Affairs<strong>

_Chapter Four: First, A Second Impression_

* * *

><p><strong>Katara<strong>

_ - 000 -_**  
><strong>

Not a good day. Not a good day at all.

One thing was for sure: All that time on solid land [or ice, as the case may be], had positively spoiled my posterior. I tried not to fidget too much, but there was a dull throb creeping up my spine that only movement could alleviate. Riding on a sky bison was not nearly as effortless as I remember it. On the upside, Appa was making great time. We were at least half a day ahead of schedule.

I stretched my legs out and shifted my weight. Maybe I was getting old. I felt even worse for my father, whose hastily-concealed winces I could spot out of the corner of my eye. The High Chief Hakoda could still run, hunt, and ice dodge with the best of them, but I could tell that his body had developed many of the distressing aches that came with age. Saddle sores and the thin air from the upper atmosphere certainly didn't help.

I was honestly surprised he had decided to come with us at all. He may be the leader of the tribe, but he had never displayed much interest in international relations, usually leaving that area for me and my brother to attend to. Not that Sokka was terribly diplomatic, being his father's son. I had thought that, if anything, Dad would sail with the remainder of our delegation by boat and oversee the delivery of the the gift for King Kuei. Sokka and Suki had opted for that route, mostly due to the fact that we were heavier than we were as kids; Appa could only carry two of us.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love my father. I do. But the only thing more distressing than a sore tailbone was a major pain in the ass.

... And that's exactly what he was being.

My father had decided to use this precious time together to play... matchmaker. But he was doing it with the expertise and subtlety of a gorilla goat peeling a papaya fruit. At first, I'd thought it was sweet, then entertaining, and finally, irritating beyond belief.

"What about that Ichika fellow? He's a nice young man, and a very promising hunter."

I tried to smile, but I had a feeling it seemed more like a grimace.

"Sure, Dad, he's nice."

"Just nice?" He cocked his head to the right. "I thought I saw you two talking for a while last week."

I sighed. "We were talking. About water bending."

"Oh, so he's a bender? You two have so much in common."

"... He uses his bending for making ice sculptures."

Dad bit his lip. "Uh, well, ice sculptures are... icy. There's that whole frozen water thing. You love ice."

I let my head fall into my hands. "If frozen water were considered a valid basis for a matrimony, the village would have happily married newborns."

"Huh?"

"We live in the middle of the _antarctic, _Dad."

He grunted. "Well, perhaps you're right."

I sighed in relief. "Good. I'm glad we've settled this."

There was blissful silence as I watched a lazy afternoon cloud float by.

"What about that boy Sangok?" He continued, "I think _that _one really likes you."

I had the sudden urge to jump off Appa's back, but instead forced an indulgent smile onto my face, all the while counting the hours until we reached Ba Sing Se.

Like I said, not a good day.

* * *

><p><strong>Toph<strong>

_- 000 -_

His pleading was borderline pathetic.

"Please, Toph. Please. You have to do this for me."

I sighed. "I already taught you earthbending. How much more do I have to give, Aang?"

The great and mighty Avatar bowed his head before me. To be honest, it was kind of satisfying in a sadistic way. I smirked.

"Come on, Toph. I can't do this alone. This is the toughest challenge I've ever had to face."

I arched an eyebrow at him. "Seriously? Tougher than Ozai?"

He looked up at me. Or, rather, he arched his head in my general direction. I had no idea where his eyeballs were pointed. Blind girls aren't big on the eye contact anyway.

"Ozai didn't wear four inch platforms."

"I dunno. I always suspected he was wearing lifts."

"Tooopphh..." The tone of his voice reminded me so much of when we were younger. I shook the nostalgia off with a shrug.

"... What would I have to do?"

He leapt up. "Thank you! But if you're going to do this, you need to be prepared."

"Prepared..?"

Aang nodded. "Yes. This is going to require cunning, courage, and... possibly a corset."

I had to laugh. For a grown man, Aang certainly had a knack for melodrama.

... He didn't seem to think it was funny.

I reached between my toes to pick out a wedge of drying mud on the pretense of thinking it over. I'd relapsed back to my old clothes for today; my mother was wonderfully discouraged with me. When it came to dressing up, I felt mostly apathetic, but I'd noticed that recently my feelings had taken an ever-so-slight turn for the worse. As much as I tried to be true to myself, to not care about the frills and frivolity of the world I was born into, a part of me wanted to be... hypothetically... _attractive_ to the opposite sex. The whole 'just one of the guys' concept was wearing a little thin.

Uh, not that I had anyone in mind or anything. Nope. Certainly not. This was strictly a hypothetical concern.

How could I possibly reconcile Toph the Super-Badass-Earthbending-Master with Toph the Girl-Person-With-Girl-Thoughts? It was all a mess. Normally, I _liked_ messes, but this... These "feelings"... To dwell on them felt so wimpy and self-indulgent.

Aang, oblivious to my unrelated train of thought, was watching me apprehensively. I refocused on the task at hand.

"She's just another snotty socialite, twinkle-toes," I said with a shrug. "How hard could this be?"

He grinned. "Excellent. Now, what do you know about repelling the opposite sex?"

I grimaced.

* * *

><p><strong>Katara<strong>

_- 000 -_**  
><strong>

I couldn't believe the changes to the capital city. Last I'd seen it, about five and a half years ago, Ba Sing Se had still been in shambles. But from the looks of things now, they'd made some serious progress. I felt a swell of pride and hope. The world was rebuilding.

And Aang was helping to make that happen.

The sun was beginning to set as we arrived in the heart of the city. Appa touched down, and almost immediately we were greeted by the official welcome wagon. They looked a little harried, probably due to the number of visitors arriving for the coronation at the end of the week. I patted Appa on his big, whiskery cheek.

"Thank you," I murmured, "for bringing me to see him." He grunted and rubbed his nose against me, pushing me forward as if to say 'go on'. I greeted everyone as politely as I could, all the while searching the area for a certain man.

He wasn't here. I consoled myself with the assumption that he was in an important meeting, or busy with his many other duties. It's not like he could afford to just wait around for our arrival. I turned to the nearest woman, a stout figure with straight black hair and a freshly-pressed green pantsuit.

"Where, might I ask, is Avatar Aang?"

She smiled and curtseyed neatly. "I'm not sure, Lady Katara. I will have someone find him and inform him of your arrival immediately. I have you down for an appointment with the council and King Kuei tomorrow at noon, and the Avatar should be in attendance. Until then, won't you both follow me to your lodgings?"

Dad nodded. "Where will we be staying, miss?"

At this, she brightened. "Oh, you will be very pleased, I think. Only the very best for such good allies of the city. I have you placed in the very heart of the Inner Ring. Right between the Marquis Du Tarnis, and General Iroh of the Fire Nation. It is a two storied villa near the best tea shop in the area. Silk wallpaper, marble floors, gold-inlayed toilet handles..."

My father seemed abashed. "My, that sounds... fancy."

She gave us a conspirator's wink. "That's nothing. It has a fully-stocked kitchen as well."

He grinned. "Fantastic."

I shook my head good-naturedly.

Our lodgings were no less than she described. I was too distracted to really appreciate the finery. I kept looking to the door, expecting Aang to run in at any moment. A dozen reunion scenarios floated in my mind at any given time. But I was patient.

... Very patient.

It grew dark fairly quickly. I unpacked and organized my room a dozen times, eyes on the balcony. My father kept filtering in and out, at first curious with my fidgeting and then concerned.

"Katara, would you like to take a trip into town with me? Tea? Cocoa? A hot beverage might calm you down."

I sat on my bed. Legs crossed. Uncrossed. Then crossed again.

"Uh, no thanks, Dad. I'm not really in the mood for tea."

He shrugged helplessly. "... Something, uh, _stronger_ maybe?"

"I don't think drinking is a part of the duties of a foreign dignitary, Dad."

"Uh, yeah. Sure. I knew that." He hesitated before adding, "He might not come tonight."

I stiffened. "Who?"

"The Avatar is a very busy man."

"I know that! You think I don't know that?" I snapped. "It's not like I'm just waiting around. I... I'm just tired. I think I'll go to bed."

"Suit yourself." He left. I decided, after a few moments, to put my nightdress on. I _was_ tired, yes. I would go to sleep, awake refreshed, do something pretty with my hair, and search out Aang in the morning. I sighed, disgusted with myself. Some emissary I turned out to be. I should be preparing to represent the Southern Water Tribe with dignity, not be biting my nails over some... _boy_.

That was it. I was going to sleep. I was fully committed to the idea that a little shut-eye would instantly inject some sanity into my life.

... Over an hour later, however, I was still counting flecks of black in the ceiling.

"Damn it!" I sat up. ... Warm milk. Yes, that's it. A little warm milk would put me into a mindset for rest right away.

Ten minutes later, I discovered that not only would it fail _horribly_ to lull me into sleep's embrace, but rather made me want to throw up. I slipped on a lightweight robe over my short nightdress and walked onto the terrace in the hopes that the balmy night air would soothe my queasiness.

Boy, was that the wrong thing to do.

I was settling myself against a wide window ledge, breathing deeply, when I heard the giggling. Curious, I leaned forward to look out onto the street. The paved way was illuminated with dozens of tiny, elegant lanterns, so I had no trouble spotting the merrymakers. There were three girls, all exquisitely made up, each with their own colourful silk dresses. I smiled at the charming tableau they made.

"Hey ladies, wait up!"

A man dressed in well-fitted orange robes zipped up beside them. He was laughing in such a way that indicated full-lubrication. Even drunk, he made a very attractive figure, what with his graceful strides and tall, lanky build. I squinted in an effort to get a look at his face, but was quickly blocked by the well-coiffed head of one of the girls. She placed a kiss smartly on his cheek and let out a wild, inebriated giggle. Lovers out for a night on the town, I supposed. It was Spring, and a time of celebration in the city, so this kind of thing was to be expected. Oddly, something about the picture felt wrong.

I realized it with a start when the smartly-dressed man whipped up a ball of dusty air and sent it soaring out into the dark sky with a whoop.

"A-Aang?" I heard myself say. My own voice startled myself and I jumped back, knocking a planter over. The sound echoed into the street and I knew that they'd heard it. I dropped to my stomach swiftly so as to stop them from spotting me, and waited. Sharp breaths raked hoarsely in and out of my lungs; my chest thumped almost painfully. I didn't know what to think. Correction: I _did _know what to think, and that was actually worse.

That was Aang... _That _was Aang?

Bitterness lost no time creeping up on my shock. With it came a spiteful rationality. No wonder Aang hadn't been around to greet me. He'd been far too busy escorting girls around town! Three of them! The Aang I remember wouldn't know what to do with one pretty female, let alone a trio. I felt sick.

He certainly hadn't been moping around thinking of me, that much was abundantly clear. Self-pity tried to sneak in next, but I never allowed myself much of that. I immediately rebounded to my natural element; my thoughts became cold, clear, even glacial. Okay, so I knew this was a possibility. He was still my friend, and jealousy doesn't look good on anyone._ Pick yourself up and move on._

I waited._ Yep, picking yourself up now. ... Any time now...  
><em>

But I couldn't manage to lift myself off the floor.

My father found me like that a few minutes later.

"Uh... Katara, honey?"

I must've jumped a foot into the air. "Dad! Hi! How was tea?"

He blinked. "Tasty. Can I ask what you're doing? Uh, _should_ I ask?"

I laughed maniacally. "Oh, you know, um... Push-ups! I couldn't sleep, so I thought, c'mon Katara, let's work on those hamstrings!"

"... Hamstrings are in your legs, dear."

I jumped to my feet and did a few weak jumping jacks. "It's been a full-body workout. We can't allow ourselves to become lazy just because we're staying in this fancy house, right?"

He eyed me carefully. "Midnight is an... _unusual _time for this sort of thing, don't you think?"

"Is it that late? Wow... Uh, you're right, it's time to hit the hay. Got to be fresh and chipper for the Earth King tomorrow! Night, Dad!" And with that, I ran into the house. I took the steps two by two and let myself fall onto the bed with a soft thump, fighting back tears of humiliation all the while. One slip and I knew I'd have a full-fledged case of sobbing, and_ that_ my father was sure to take notice of.

I twisted my finger around a strand of hair, one which had fallen out of its loopy at some point, and gave it a sharp tug in frustration.

I was too old for this crap.

The thought of seeing Aang in the morning made my stomach churn violently. The more I thought about it, the more I became so incredibly furious with myself.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid...

Stupid_ me._

Stupid_ Aang._

Stupid... push-ups.

Needless to say, I slept very little that night._  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>AN:_

Okay, I promise I'll stop torturing the characters soon. ... But not too soon.

Next chapter, they finally see each other again.

Thanks for reading! ... Reviews are lovely, lovely things._  
><em>


	5. Five: The Puddle Summons

Hi all!

Sorry about the wait, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the length of this chapter.

I hold no claims to _Avatar: The Last Airbender._ That much should be obvious.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Foreign Affairs<strong>

_Chapter Five: The Puddle Summons_

* * *

><p><strong>Aang<strong>

_- 000 -_**  
><strong>

I awoke with a headache. That was putting it mildly. I awoke with a gargantuan, skull-splitting, eyeball-drying, climb-back-under-the-covers-and-stay-there, cruel bastard of a headache. The cheerful morning light pierced into my temple like a poisoned dart. I was forced out of bed finally, when my Daily Events Coordinator came knocking. When I answered the door she gave me such a stare, an expression that made her already wide eyes bug out alarmingly, that I asked her what was wrong.

"No offense meant, Avatar Aang, but... you look awful. What happened to you?"

I paused. Oh, gods. It all came back to me in a flash. The night had started out so innocently. I'd taken Laila, Sir Heiwa's daughter, out to the theatre. She was a nice enough girl, all things considered. She seemed to care a lot what the other girls were wearing, that much I recalled. I was getting ready to take her home when Toph stepped in to enact the second part of the plan. I'd asked for her help implementing a scheme to make Miss Heiwa drop her infatuation with me faster than she could say 'social-climber'. Toph was _supposed_ to interrupt, make me look like an exceedingly bad date, with the desired effect being making Laila never want to see me again. ... The plan didn't exactly turn out as I'd hoped.

I remember... rice wine. Lots and lots of rice wine.

"... Toph," I muttered, rubbing my temple, "Spirits be damned."

"Toph? You mean Sir Bei Fong's daughter?" The attendant asked. "She's a... nice young lady."

"You're not a very good liar," I pointed out. The Blind Bandit was many things, including a superlative underage drinker, but _nice_?

"Maybe not, sir." She cleared her throat with a petite 'e-hem' and looked down at the clipboard she was carrying. "So, you have a fairly busy day today. You have your regular appearance at court, an audience with the King and the representatives of the Southern Water Tribe, and then perhaps a haircut. You're looking a little scruffy."

I ran my fingers through my shag absentmindedly. I was going to shave it off again, but I thought I'd wait and see how Katara felt about it. My hand snapped down.

"Wait. What?"

"A-A haircut..? I hope I'm not being presumptuous, sir."

"No, no, not that. The thing before. Did you say Southern Water Tribe?"

She glanced down at the page. "Why yes. High Chief Hakoda, and his daughter, Lady Katara."

I felt cold all of a sudden. "She's, uh, _they're _here already?"

"Yes, sir. As of yesterday evening. I was told to inform you last night, but you were gone when I'd arrived."

My heart leapt up and did a spin, or at least it felt that way. "What time is the audience?" My head shot around. Maybe I had time to visit her before then.

"It's, uh, in about twenty minutes." She looked panicky. "I've been standing outside for an hour. Y-You didn't answer! I'm sorry!" When it came to talking to strangers, there was one thing that I hadn't gotten used to, and probably never would: the poorly-disguised fear. As a boy, I'd made short work of the Phoenix King. As a man, no one could touch me; no one could control me. And as a result, no one really trusted me.

I tried to smile reassuringly. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault, really."

"Thank you, sir. You should probably get ready. I'll wait here for you to return."

This time, I grinned. "Don't bother. In fact, take the day off. It's beautiful outside!"

"... It's raining, sir."

"Like I said, beautiful!"

And with that, I spun off to get ready. My hangover felt miles away.

* * *

><p><strong>Katara<strong>

_- 000 -_**  
><strong>

My father had been sneaking me concerned glances all morning. If he asked after my health one more time, I was going to lose it.

"Katara, dear, are you sure you're-"

"-I'm FINE."

His eyes snapped to the front. Heaven knows how murderous I must've looked. I certainly felt it. I hadn't slept much, and eating solid food at breakfast had seemed an impossible task for my stomach. There was a ball of rage, jealousy and despair in my gut taking up all the room normally left for nourishment. I took a few deep breaths and tried to take comfort in the delightful scent of Spring air. I'd forgotten what it was like to breathe in and actually taste the earth. It was a refreshing, overwhelming change from the scentless bite of the antarctic wind. The rain had begun to taper off, and as I'd walked I'd taken a small comfort in the familiar, easily controllable puddles.

We were in the palace now, where there was no comfort.

We were waiting to see the King. Or, rather, the former, future king. I was still very unclear as to how to address him. To my left was my father stood, dressed in his ceremonial chieftain's garb; to my right, our good-humoured attendant, Cin Dee. She'd filled the tense silence with information about the city, especially the progress and changes since we'd last been here. I relished the distraction.

"Announcing, His Highness, soon to be again His Majesty, Lord Kuei." The lavish doors swung open and we stepped into the throne room. Cin Dee gave us a wink and left us to approach the monarch. Kuei had changed in appearance. He now sported a rather full beard. It gave him a distinguished air, which was promptly ruined by his pet bear, Bosco, who gave him an enthusiastic lick on the cheek.

"Friends!" He exclaimed, hopping off his golden perch as we approached. "Katara, it's been so long!"

My father, having only ever met the Earth King briefly years ago, seemed a little shocked at his informality.

"Kuei, this is my father, Chief Hakoda." They shook hands enthusiastically.

"Wonderful to meet you," Dad said, "I look forward to the coronation."

"Oh, me too," laughed Kuei, "it feels as if we've been planning it for ages. It'll be nice to get it over with." He looked around. "Well, the Avatar was supposed to be here to greet you as well, but it appears he's running late."

My smile slipped into something less flattering. "Oh, you know Aang. He's probably off galavanting with some pretty young thing."

Both men gave me a strange look.

"That doesn't sound like him," Kuei said, voice hesitant.

Oh, so the king didn't know about his emissary's extracurriculars. That was petty of me to mention it. I tried to backpedal.

"You're right. I was joking. He's probably just, uh-"

"-Meditating, actually," chimed in a fourth voice. "My apologies, Your Majesty."

And there he was. Aang was smiling as he strode towards us. My eyes widened. He looked... different. Older. Taller. His face had filled out in the last two years, and his jawline seemed more pronounced. The last I'd seen of him he'd been dressed in a parka, which made the changes in his body all the more noticeable; his terra-cotta robes now hung across unfamiliar broad shoulders. I was absolutely horrified to feel blood rush to my ears.

"Chief Hakoda," Aang greeted, "it's wonderful to see you again." He turned to me and waited one long breath before speaking.

"Hello, Katara."

The world could've collapsed in on itself and I probably wouldn't have noticed. Oh, gods. I missed those puddles.

"You... you have hair," I managed. He laughed warmly.

"Yeah. You like it? It makes it easier for me to blend in with the non-Avatar people."

The non-avatar people being upper-class girls who gave enthusiastic kisses, I reminded myself in an attempt to rein in my ridiculous blush.

Holding out a hand to him, I said steadily, "It's great to see you again, Aang. The city is looking very well." I know the gesture was silly, but embracing him with the kind of childhood-friendship warmth he would be expecting seemed impossible.

He glanced down at my hand with a bit of confusion before reaching out to take it. His palm was slightly callused, but incredibly warm and pleasant to touch. Electricity shot up my arm and seemed to ricochet off every available nerve in my body. I barely managed to keep my expression polite.

"You've changed," he murmured. I didn't know whether or not to take that as a compliment, so I settled for turning to the king with a smile.

"Shall we see the council now?" I hoped I was the only one who could hear the desperation in my voice.

* * *

><p><strong>Aang<strong>

_- 000 -_**  
><strong>

This wasn't what I expected.

I watched Katara out of the corner of my eye. She seemed to be deliberately turning all her focus on the painting that hung a foot above the council's heads. Embarrassingly enough, it depicted me in full Avatar state alongside the palace guards as they defended the city. Why was she staring at it when the real thing was standing right beside her?

The Council of Ten went through the motions. Greeted her and her father respectfully. Gave the party line about the progress of the Earth Nation.

No, this wasn't what I expected at all.

The handshake had been bad enough. From the moment I saw her, standing in that fussy, torturously snug blue dress, her hair curving artfully over her shoulder, all I'd wanted to do was to wrap my arms around her and quite possibly never let go.

... Okay, so maybe ravishing her in front of her father and a foreign monarch wasn't the best idea I'd ever had. But a handshake?

I tried to unobtrusively check myself over. No unsightly sores. No sign taped to my forehead proclaiming me a leper. I thought I'd detected a blush when I'd touched her hand. That thought gave me hope at least.

But now this. She was ignoring me.

Fear crept up my spine. There had to be a reason for this frosty reception. Had I done something wrong? Maybe it was the hair; she hated it. Or the fact that I was late; Katara was big on punctuality. Or maybe... maybe there was someone else in her life, someone for which she saved her warm embraces.

Her head turned slightly as she asked a question. Blue eyes flickered to me ever so briefly. This was torture. I didn't deserve this. Hell, _Ozai_ didn't deserve this.

I tried to calm myself. Her father didn't seem to be angry with me. Maybe it was my imagination. Either way, we could settle this matter as soon as this appallingly dry debriefing was finished. It couldn't last much longer, could it? We could go for a long walk, reminisce, and she could discover that I was still very much the boy who'd loved her seven years ago. Well, not _all _boy, but still.

"And now let us show you the newly built, expanded library," Kuei offered. I sighed in relief. The library was enormous and a great love of the King's; a proper showing could take another hour. Surely Katara wouldn't take him up on that.

"Certainly!" She replied, "I'd love to see it."

I bit the inside of my cheek so hard I could taste blood.

As I went to follow Katara and her father into the hall, a rough hand on my shoulder halted me. I turned to stare into the stern, creased face. His long beard frayed at the ends angrily.

"Yes, Sir Heiwa?" I asked hesitantly.

"Aang, you have some explaining to do. My daughter came home three hours past curfew last night."

I paled. "Uh, sir, I'm, um, very, _very_ sorry about that. You see, we were-"

"-And normally I could overlook such a thing, but it turns out that she was also very, _very_ drunk."

I opened my mouth to explain, but he raised a hand, effectively cutting me off.

"Now is not the time. This evening, you will come over for tea, and we will... _discuss_ this." His tone was full of promise. The promise of misery and pain.

I swallowed.

* * *

><p><strong>Katara<strong>

_- 000 -_**  
><strong>

The hairs on my arm rose when he rejoined us. Where had he gone? He'd disappeared and I'd taken a moment to actually breathe. But now he was back, and I felt my lungs freeze up again. The shallow breaths were making me dizzy. The whole thing made staying cool and composed remarkably difficult.

I concentrated harder.

The method of mixing plaster for the city walls? Fascinating. The exact number of books in each category of non-fiction in the palace library? I was spellbound. Gold lace coasters? How riveting! I listened intently to every syllable. Anything to keep me from glancing at Aang.

It was silly. I was well aware of my useless, girlish idiocy. But it was all I could do. I'd put all my cards in one pile, but some stupid airbender had blow them all to hell. Until I got my emotional bearings, this was the best Katara I could be.

It's not that I wanted the tour to go on forever, but the thought of having my mind unoccupied enough to make casual conversation terrified me. I'd had a plan, damn it. But now I had to figure out how to interact with this new, unfamiliar person residing in Aang's body. I just needed a little while longer to come up with a safe, phlegmatic strategy. A part of me hoped that maybe he would get fed up and leave us, but as we went on and on, I knew that probably wasn't going to happen. Aang was an intensely polite person. He most likely felt it was his duty to accompany us.

My father, on the other hand, was getting restless. We'd just left the conservatory when he let loose a well-timed yawn.

"My apologies, councilmen, Your Majesty. I guess I'm still a bit tired from the journey."

"Of course," Kuei said, "you should retire to your lodgings. I will have my tea sommelier bring you something restorative."

Dad bowed. "That's very kind of you."

I tried to think of something to say as we walked back through the massive halls toward the front gates. I couldn't very well ask to continue; I would appear as if I didn't care for my father's health.

When we were out of earshot of anyone, Dad chuckled. His feet picked up pace and those previously tired eyes of his brightened mischievously.

"You seem to be feeling a bit more chipper," I said flatly.

He grinned. "Sure am!" He caught my unimpressed stare and smiled in apology. "Sorry, but if that went on for another minute, I was going to lose my mind."

Aang nodded. "I couldn't agree with you more, sir."

Dad stretched his hands over his head, looking a decade younger than the truth. "If it's okay with you two, I'm going to take off and see the sites. If that planner lady asks, I'm taking a nap. I'm an old guy, after all."

I bit my lip and glanced at Aang. He nodded, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically.

"That's fine by me. It'll give Katara and I a chance to catch up."

Catch up. Yes. Like the old friends we were. I focused on my breathing. This did not have to be disastrous. He was still Aang. I'm sure my lack of friendliness was confusing him. I just had to be myself.

No, wait. Scratch that. I had to be someone else. _Anyone_ else.

Dad caught my eye. "That okay, dear?"

I wanted to grab on to his cape, or plead with him to stay. No, don't leave me here! I need you as a buffer!

Instead, I nodded numbly. "Sure, have fun."

Aang said something to Hakoda, but I didn't hear the words. Dad patted me on the head and started to walk away before I could get my mind in order. I could practically feel Aang's eyes on me. I should've said something, _anything_, but my throat was too dry for speech.

"Katara, have I done something to upset you?" His voice startled me.

I plastered a smile on my face. "No, of course not."

He watched me intently for a moment.

"Then why, if you don't mind me asking, are you baring your teeth at me like a jackal badger?"

My mouth snapped shut and I started walking. "I-I'm not. Uh, why don't we check out the palace gardens?"

Flowers seemed a nice, safe topic of conversation. Petals were safe. Stems, nice. Pointy leaves... Yep. Nice and safe.

He reached out to take my hand, halting me.

"I've seen the garden. It's nothing to get excited about. They're just flowers."

"I... I _like_ flowers," I said weakly.

He ignored that.

"To be honest, Katara, I thought you'd be a little more happy to see me."

My eyes shot up to his, before fizzling away again. "I _am_ happy." Even I could tell that my voice lacked the necessary powers of conviction.

He cocked his head slightly and then reached into his pocket.

"Hey, Katara... Remember this?"

My curiousity got the better of my awkwardness and I looked up.

He had three marbles pressed between his hands. He parted his palms and, using airbending, the little spheres spun around each other in rapid circles.

I burst out in surprised laughter.

"Of course I remember!"

That had been the day we'd first stumbled upon the Kyoshi Warriors, way back before Aang had even mastered waterbending. I recalled how the girls of Kyoshi had fawned over him and how much he'd basked in their attention.

I recalled the beautiful young women from last night. With the exception of his stature, apparently things hadn't changed that much.

I, on the other hand, had definitely changed. Then, I'd been miffed. Now, however, I felt positively nauseated.

"You weren't this impressed the first time I showed you that trick." The slight smirk on his face was unexpected; I'd never seen an expression of such confidence and self-satisfaction on Aang's face before. It was a kick to my already bruised ego. I stopped smiling, part in protest of my wounded psyche, part in awe that I was letting such a silly thing get to me, and part because I just used the phrase _wounded psyche_.

Oh gods.

"So, how's life?" Aang asked, in a somewhat lame attempt to fill the silence. "How's the South Pole?"

I attempted a cordial tone. "It's good. Cold."

"Cold? That's the best you can do? C'mon, Katara."

I shrugged. "What's to tell? We're rebuilding the village. It's coming along really well." My mouth moved of its own accord, "I've been seeing a few men."

What? It wasn't exactly a lie. I had _seen_ men. With my eyes. And anyway, what did it matter if I wanted a little buffer between Aang and my pride?

Aang's mouth hardened. "A _'few' _men?"

I waved a hand casually. "Yeah, nothing serious. Just testing the waters."

His expression darkened. "Testing..?"

"Uh... yeah."

We stared at each other. Actually, I stared at his chin. I can't say that I knew where he was looking.

The tension was uncomfortable, to say the least. It was made worse by the fact that every time I so much as flickered my eyes up to his face, the rhythm of my heart sped up conspicuously.

I racked my brain, searching for something to say. Something dawned on me: a nice, neutral fact to dispel the friction.

"Oh, and Sokka's marrying Suki."

Warm grey eyes blinked rapidly down at me. "Wow, that's great!" He paused. "... You seriously didn't think to open with that?"

I shrugged.

We stared at each other some more. My skin hummed. My chest thumped.

Aang let out a huff of air. "Uh, when did this happen?"

"A few months ago. He's really, really happy about it."

His eyebrows arched. "A few months? Why didn't you tell me?"

I bit my lip, and tried not to sound bitter as I responded. "Well, you haven't exactly been... available lately, have you?"

A strange look of understanding dawned over his face. "I've been busy. I have_ responsibilities_ here. You know that."

That was all it took for the pain I'd been feeling to come crashing down again. My pitiful heart may have been broken, but that didn't mean it was going down without a fight. I knew I was making it worse, and I knew this was the most childish, hysterical way I'd ever acted in my life...

_But..._

"Responsibilities? So that's what the kids are calling it nowadays?"

"Uh, yes?"

"You're trying to tell me that you spend _all_ of your time on your Avatar duties?"

_... I was so fucking tired..._

"Of course."

"And that you have _no_ free time to yourself?"

_... Of being so goddamn _**adult** _about everything. _

"O-Of course!" He sounded angry, and his voice lowered with each syllable. That was new. But the other tone in his voice I remembered like it was yesterday.

"Why else do you think I've been here all this time?" He snorted. "Why else would I stay away from... from my friends?"

Yes, I knew that tone. He was lying.

I didn't seem to have any control over my words. "I can think of _three_ reasons. And they all come from very rich families, how nice for you."

His figure tensed noticeably.

"I don't think I like the tone you're using, Katara. Here in Ba Sing Se, people are usually a little more polite."

His condescension made my blood boil... Or maybe those were the puddles at our feet making that furious bubbling sound. Seven years I'd waited for him, all because I thought he was doing the same for me. Now it all felt like seven years of nothing. I let anger fill the void.

"Oh? Am I not affording the almighty Avatar the proper amount of respect?" I took a step back and gave him an over exaggerated bow. "Forgive my snow peasant manners, Your Grace. I guess I thought I was here for the King's coronation, not _yours_."

... It was not my finest moment.

"_Excuse_ me?" He gaped.

"You've really let this Avatar thing go to you head, you know that?"

He looked shocked, and then furious. "You weren't saying that to me when I saved the bloody world! And I did, if you recall."

I snorted. "Then perhaps you should go bestow your magnanimous presence on someone who can appreciate it better."

"Maybe I will!"

"I'm glad!"

"I'm glad you're glad!"

Deja vu smacked me in the face. I ignored it.

His face was sullen. "It was _so_ nice to see you again, Miss Water Tribe."

"And you, _Lord _Avatar."

And with that, I gave him one last dirty look before spinning on my heels and storming off. It took all of my will power not to look over my shoulder.

The cobblestones smacked loudly against the leather of my boots. Leftover pools of rainwater cleared from my path as if afraid. The sun, which had peeked out earlier, had retreated as well into the safety of grey clouds. I felt the thick layer of humidity roll over me as Aang stormed off in the opposite direction. Thunder rumbled in the distance as if to point out that I wasn't the only one who had an effect on the weather.

Try as I may, my fists refused to unclench.

I'd never done anything so loud and irrational before. I had to admit that, under all the self-disgust, the disappointment, the aching heart and everything else, a part of my mind felt elated at just how uncontrolled I'd been.

I'd been Resonsible Adult Katara for so long. Seven years of 'Nose to the grindstone, Katara.' 'Hope and be good, Katara.' 'Control the water, but don't make ripples, Katara.' Responsible Adult Katara even came with her very own Rose Colored Glasses and Hefty Emotional Baggage. How fun.

It was silly of me, to forget to read the small print:_ Avatar sold separately._

My head ached. I put a hand to my temple, as if to still the throbbing manually. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cin Dee approaching. Her nose was in her clipboard; she hadn't spotted me yet. Being babysat was the last thing I wanted, so I quickly shot out of eyesight and started walking. A little stroll would pose as a nice distraction from the confusing, hurtful thoughts that made my insides squeeze uncomfortably.

A little stroll turned into a serious walk, and casual wandering led to a long-distance trek. Before I knew it, I was lost. The black roofs told me I was in the Lower Ring, a town in itself, where the lesser-privileged were hid away from the delicate eyes of the high born.

The low murmur of the crowd made me look up. Something was happening; the air seemed to buzz with it. Like a mothfly to a flame, I followed the bodies and found myself surrounded. Various elbows, heads and hands stuffed themselves into my personal space. It was a thrilling and entirely unfamiliar sensation, and also a welcome distraction from my Aang-related thoughts. Before long, the crowd began to writhe and shift like a single organism, with a single objective.

A mirror image of the mob was reflected back at us from across the road. Between the two crowds strode a procession of komodo rhinos in Fire Nation colours, with one towering camelephant at the center. Atop the massive beast was a lone figure, the focus of attention. Ah, so this was what was causing the excitement.

Zuko looked uncomfortable and proud at the same time. He'd obviously adopted the camelephant purely for the dramatic effect, as he clearly had no idea how to ride it. No doubt his Public Image Advisors had a hand in the flashy entrance. I had to admit, he looked pretty good up there. My head spun as the crowd's excited murmurs grew louder. People seemed generally pleased to see the regal hotman, and that surprised me a little.

Perhaps I'd been to soon to judge his counselors; Fire Lord Zuko had clearly gained more public favour since I'd last been in Ba Sing Se.

It felt odd to be looking at my old friend from the middle of a crowd. I felt a sudden, self-conscious urge to distinguish myself from the rest.

"Zuko!" I called loudly, waving an arm. He didn't hear me over the cacophony. "Zuko! It's me, Katara!" I tried again.

I suddenly tuned in to the fact that half the women in the crowd were calling his name as well. I bit my cheek, feeling the embarrassment acutely. It continually astounded me just how small I felt here, how small the tribe back home seemed in comparison. Part of me wanted to run back there, and never leave, but another part needed to push the limits of my comfort zone, like I'd done when I'd set out to help the Avatar.

How my fourteen year old self had managed all this, I didn't know. In some ways, it felt like she was the stronger person. She'd been impetuous, brave, and unwilling to compromise. She was an ice sculpture. Right now, I felt more of a kinship with the puddles around me.

I shook my head and smiled grimly. The procession continued through the gates to the Middle Ring, no doubt headed towards the palace. I watched them drift away.

Something in the sight made me come to my senses. I wasn't just some onlooker in a crowd. I was Katara, Waterbending Master, Emissary from the Southern Water Tribe, Integral to the End of the Great Flame War. It was high time I started acting like it. I didn't have to be Responsible Adult Katara, but I did have to be Somewhat Sane Katara, and so...

I had to talk to Aang, explain myself. Then we could both go, as friends, to greet Zuko. It had been years since I'd seen him. The schedule of the Fire Lord was just as, if not more, busy than that of the Avatar. My heart pulsed erratically. My resolution to sanity didn't make my feeling any less... feely.

Ugh. Things had been so much simpler when we were kids.

Just as I separated myself from the crowd, I noticed that men dressed in dark green guard uniforms were placed strategically around the street. One approached me. I rushed towards him, suddenly afraid.

"Excuse me, is something wrong?" I asked, "Is it my father?"

"I'm assuming you are Lady Katara Water Tribe?" The guard, a tall man with a prominent brow and dark hair, had a calm voice. The lower half of his face was covered by a green fabric in the fashion of the King's Royal Guard.

I nodded.

There was a quick snap, and I was knocked onto my knees. My ankles had been snapped together by cuffs made of metal that seemed to come out of nowhere. My wrists soon followed suit. I shot my eyes up to the guard furiously.

"What is this? Why am I being treated this way?"

To his credit, he looked partially apologetic.

"You are to be brought to the palace, willing or not."

"You didn't even ask if I was willing," I pointed out, waggling my wrists at him.

He coughed, and adjusted the cover over his mouth. "... Some of the boys get a little bender-happy. We expected you to run."

"Run? Why would I run? I don't even know what's going on here!"

That seemed to take him by surprise, but he covered the emotion quickly. "You should know better than anyone."

"I don't _know_ anything!"

His dark gaze grew dubious, and I watched his mind click into Official Protocol Mode. He pulled me to my feet.

"Lady Katara, you are under arrest on suspicion of attempted assassination. We will be escorting you to the palace, where you will be interrogated to the fullest extent of the Rule of Law. You may seek the counsel of your peers, and ask someone to represent you. If you are unable to acquire such counsel, you may request an aide from the city or choose to represent yourself."

My eyes widened as he all but shoved me forward. I felt my heart slip into the icy pit of my stomach. Attempted... _assassination_?

Surely, he wasn't serious..? Me? An assassin? My head spun. I briefly considered whipping up some of the puddle water to defend myself. I hesitated. No, this had to be a mistake. Fighting back certainly wouldn't help the situation. I left the water on the ground.

"... Whatever happened to diplomatic immunity..?" I asked lamely over my shoulder. He prodded me forward.

"Probably went to the same place as my pension," was his gruff response as he ushered me into the awaiting black wagon. Black curtains cut out all light from the outside, or maybe that was due to the blindfold that was roughly tugged over my eyes.

"Why am I being accused?" I demanded.

There was no response.

Oh yeah, this was just what my day needed to make it _absolutely_ _perfect_.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN:_**

Whew! Cliffhanger! This chapter is nearly double in length of the others, and I hope to keep that up. I do wonder if you would prefer more frequent updates with smaller chapters, or longer waits with bigger payoffs. Let me know?

A big Thank You! to those of you who left reviews. There's no greater satisfaction than knowing that people are enjoying the story. It makes writing a sheer pleasure. I especially love it when people try and predict what's going to happen. And for those that have asked, yes, Zuko is going to play a bigger role in the plot. That's why I had him introduced in this chapter.

Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you'll be so kind as to leave a review with your thoughts. It only takes a minute to make this writer a very happy bunny.

'Till next time!

_- Kitzophrenic_


	6. Six: Alibis and Lovely Lies

Hello again, peoples of the fanfiction multiverse!

I dedicate this chapter to _PandaLily22_, who sent me the sweetest note, reminding me to change my rating [something I'd completely forgotten about! I'm so absentminded.]. Thanks again!

A bit of a longer wait, due to my new job. My apologies! I'll try to be quicker with the next update. Also, the majority of reviewers said that they preferred more lengthy chapters, so here you are...

As previously stated, I hold no claim to the awesomeness that is _Avatar: The Last Airbender._

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Foreign Affairs<strong>

_Chapter Six: Alibis and Lovely Lies_

* * *

><p><strong>Toph<strong>

_- 000 -_**  
><strong>

A hundred some odd years ago, when the world needed him most, the Avatar vanished. The first time he was found, he was frozen inside a ball of ice alongside a flying bison.

Two hours ago, when no one really needed him, he disappeared again. The second time he was found, he was sitting on a bridge, sullenly earthbending pebbles into a pool of koi.

I was glad to see him. Aang's problems were a useful distraction from my own. I strode casually towards him, relishing the way the soggy earth between my toes made it difficult to tell where my feet ended and the ground began. I'd abandoned the dress my mother had laid out on the bed for me this morning, opting instead for my traditional attire. Her idea of proper dress for a lady wasn't exactly practical for teaching a dozen city-dwelling Earthbenders how to move metal with their minds. Although at this point, I could've probably worn a clown's nose and a tutu and had more success. One man in particular was being especially hard-headed... I shoved the thought down _hard_.

Aang didn't look up as I leaned casually against the ledge beside him.

"Hey Aang," I said, "what's up?"

"Nothing." Another pebble dropped into the water. _Sploosh._

"Very convincing."

He responded with a very uncharacteristic dour stare.

"I thought you were supposed to be at court, dealing with overly made-up foreign royalty?" I stretched my hands over my head. "In fact, at this very moment, I can feel the vibration of a hundred dainty feet scouring the streets of Ba Sing Se, looking for you."

"That's nice."

_Sploosh._

I frowned. What was up with him? It wasn't like Aang to mope, or torture poor little fishies with rocks. I decided to play dirty.

"Hey, any way I could interest you in a little hog monkey riding? I hear they got one in at the zoo."

There was a pause. I grinned. I knew he couldn't pass that up.

"No thanks, Toph."

I arched an eyebrow at him. Oh dear. This was really serious. I tried to think of all the possible catastrophes that would make Aang pass up an opportunity for uninhibited riding mayhem. Had Ozai's firebending returned? Probably not. Was King Kuei in danger? Not that I could tell. I rubbed my temple until it came to me.

Ah.

"So, Katara's in town, yeah?"

He didn't respond, instead shooting another rock into the stream.

I tried again. "Did things not go as planned?"

_Sploosh._

"... What happened?"

_Sploosh._

"... Aang?"

_Sploosh! Sploosh! Sploosh!_

I sighed. "I'm glad we're having such a fulfilling dialogue."

There was another barrage of pebbles. Without turning his head to me, he spoke.

"She hates me."

That took me by surprised. The concept was so ridiculous that I had to laugh.

"It's not funny!" He growled. "You weren't there. She accused me of... well, I didn't follow most of it, but..."

I held up a hand. "What did she say?"

"She accused me of letting my position here go to my head."

I bended the stone of the bridge into a better seat. "So?"

"She also said something about three rich families. Speaking of which, Sir Heiwa's going to rip me a new..." His head shot up, horror dawning on his face. "Oh no."

I quirked an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"... Toph, what exactly did we do last night?"

I shrugged. "Drank a lot, had an impromptu haiku reading, uh... your date's friend got sick in someone's garden."

"Friend?" He asked with a rasp in his throat.

I kicked up a little dust, felt it swirl and settle. "Yeah, we met her at the ale house, remember? You autographed her clavicle."

"I _what_?" His head fell into his hands. "Oh gods. Katara was right. I'm a man whore."

I blinked.

"... _Katara_ called you a man whore?" I couldn't help but gape.

"Well, not in so many words, but... She must've known about last night. I just can't see how..?"

I shrugged. "I told you. Any lady worth her salt knows when the great and mighty Avatar galavants around town. Gossip is a living organism in this town."

I tapped my toe against the ground, using the resulting vibration to read the exasperated look on Aang's face.

"Remind me not to ask you for help," he grumbled.

I snorted. "Done and done, twinkle-toes. Just don't forget this was your Master Plan. I was just the henchman this time. That was your first mistake."

He cocked his head to one side thoughtfully. "Wait. Did you say 'Impromptu haiku reading'?"

My shoulders twitched in a shrug. "And that was your second."

He made a wordless sound of pique, the closest thing to a proper cuss I'd been able to get out of him. "That _whole night_ was a mistake."

"Why? Because you spent one night having fun and _not_ moping after her?"

"I don't mope." He shot another stone into the water below with a sigh.

A damp breeze blew over us and two flecks of dust landed on my cheek. I left them there happily.

"Aang, you're a good guy, you really are," I said, "but If there was an alternate universe, where moping was the equivalent of bending, you'd still be the Avatar."

He grunted in protest. "... 'S not true."

Seeing as we were communicating best with guttural noises, I gave him my best derisive snort. "Is too. You and Sweetness are both masters of making yourselves miserable. She pines away for you. You punish yourself if you let so much as a hint of enjoyment filter into your life. It's disgusting."

_... And there are other problems in life besides what you and Katara are mooning over... _I don't say that. That would open me up to a line of questioning I really don't care to delve into. Today is not Toph-Shares-With-The-Class Day.

"And what would you have me do, if you're such an excellent life coach?" Aang asked, voice laced in frustration.

I sighed. Katara had spent her adolescent and adult years tucked away at the bottom of the world with only a few hundred deeply traditional tribe members. Aang had spent his flying around the world, being the Avatar, and having to deal with the power and responsibility the position entailed. They were socially stunted in two very different, but equally damaging ways. They could just be happy if they could communicate in normal human ways, but they won't. Their relationship would be an interesting study in neurosis if it wasn't so damn ridiculous.

"Aang," I said slowly, "Repeat after me."

"Uh, okay..."

I cleared my throat. "Why hello there, Katara Water Tribe! It is I, Aang. Let's make babies."

His words fell all over each other. "I-I _never _said that I wanted to do or _make_... those... things."

"Babies," I clarified.

"That's, uh, not really what I..." He coughed. "It's a little soon for _that_, Toph-"

"-Uh, uh." I shook my finger. "You asked my advice. Well, there it is."

He quirked his head to one side. "Your answer to my romantic problems is... babies?"

"My advice is that you should _use your goddamn words_."

His shoulders slumped.

"Idiot," I added helpfully.

He pushed himself up from the ledge and looked down into the water. I didn't feel any vibrations from swimming fish, or rather I didn't feel any vibrations from the water lapping against the shore [fish where a bit of a mystery to me, like most water-dwellers]. Either they'd escaped downstream to safety, or Aang's rockslide had murdered them all. My stomach gurgled in a reminder of my skipped lunch.

"You're wrong, you know," he said, "she hasn't been pining away for me."

That made me sit up. "How do you know?"

"She told me, straight out. She's been seeing other men."

This surprised me a little. Not that I thought Katara had been abstaining all these years, but I never thought she's be so open with Aang. To tell him that she was unavailable was a very bold move. I guess I'd always just assumed that eventually they'd figure it out and end up together. This development had an effect on the landscape.

The Avatar shrugged with a frustrating kind of helplessness. "I guess I waited too long, huh?"

I racked my brain for advice but, in a twist of irony, my own words failed me completely.

On the corner of my senses, I felt the singular pulsing of rapidly approaching feet. It was a woman, dressed in an official city uniform. Aang rose when she came running onto the bridge.

"Avatar, you are needed at the palace immediately. It's an emergency." Her voice was strained.

"Wow, Aang," I quipped, "I thought I was joking about you being so integral to the ladies at court."

"Toph..." His voice held a quiet warning. Something in the woman's expression worried him. "What's wrong?"

"It's sensitive information, sir." She gestured towards me like I wasn't even there.

I snorted. "I may be blind, but that doesn't mean I'm a blabbermouth by default. Sheesh."

"It's fine. You can trust her," Aang said.

"Excuse my paranoia." She exhaled slowly. "But, it's completely understandable, given that there has just been an attempt on the King's life."

I wasn't great at reading emotion, but even I could tell she was trying to maintain her composure.

Aang's voice was hard. "Take me to him."

They took off without me, Aang's head bobbing a farewell. I saluted, and then let my hand fall limply to my side.

"Well, dirt, my old friend," I muttered downwards, "it looks like it's just you and me."

But if Aang thought I was just going to sit demurely and wait, he had another thing coming.

* * *

><p><strong>Aang<strong>

_- 000 -_

I slammed open the doors to Kuei's chambers. Surrounding his bed were half a dozen men and women, each face wrinkled in concern. They glanced up at the noise. An older woman with greying streaks in her tight braid stepped forward. I recognized her vaguely as the Royal Healer.

"Sir Avatar," she bowed, "it is an honour."

"How is he? What happened?"

"His Majesty will survive," she spoke calmly, in that soothing, unconcerned way that healers often do. "'Twas a deep flesh wound, but no organs were punctured."

I breathed a sigh of relief, the worry swept aside enough for the guilt to take its place. "This is my fault. I should've been here to protect him."

"N-nonsense," came a garbled cough from the bed, "you're the Avatar, not my personal guard." Kuei made a shooing gesture and cleared the people from his bedside, or at least from his line of sight. The King was pale and I could see, as well as sense, the beads of sickly perspiration dotting his forehead. His grin was weak. "Although, I may have to change that policy seeing how effective my so-called security is."

I knelt beside his bed. "How are you feeling?"

He chuckled and then winced, placing a hand over his bandaged side. "P-Peachy keen, although I don't recommend it for the casual tourist."

I had to smile at his brave front. He'd changed so much since I'd first met him. "Did you see what happened?"

He bit his lip. "Aang, before I tell you, I need you to know that it is not your job to dispense justice in this city. I have plenty of people to do that for me."

My brow furrowed. "That's ridiculous. I will find and apprehend your attacker. I was unable to protect you, but this, this I can do." He opened his mouth to protest, but I shook my head. "And when I figure out who did this, I will make sure that your law is upheld to the fullest extent."

"Aang..."

"Did you see who the assassin was?"

He let out a careful sigh, expression bleak. "The guards did... well, the two that are still alive, anyway."

I clenched a fist. "How many are dead?"

"... Four. Jin, Ruki, Bu Yi, and Ling."

I felt a bubbling fury well up from inside me. The Avatar State pulsed just beneath my skin, begging to be released. I found, as I'd aged, keeping my temper in check was becoming more and more of a concern. I'd mastered all the elements, but for some reason, the Avatar State remained an uncontrollable element of my power. Immensely strong, but unpredictable and possibly deadly. I didn't want to hurt anyone.

Except perhaps this... man. This man who was disrupting the peace I'd worked so hard to achieve. This man who dared to kill my colleagues, who dared attempt to slay the king.

"What did he look like?" I grit out. "Did they get a good look at him?"

Kuei reached out, pushing through his grimace of pain, to rest a hand on my forearm. "Yes, they got a good look."

"And?"

"Aang," he sighed, "the weapon that attacked me was very singular. It was a blade of ice."

I felt confusion melt my anger. "A blade of... ice..?" The humidity seemed to cling to my skin in emphasis of the oddity.

He nodded. "A blade of ice wielded by a woman of dark skin, dark hair, blue eyes. One of the guards say they watched Ruki and Ling suffocate, a ball of water trapped around their heads."

I rose to my feet, as if to get my own head above the darkness in his words. "A waterbender," I breathed, the words sounding so much like a condemnation.

His head bobbed again. I knew what he was going to say before the words left his lips.

"It pains me to be the one to tell you this, my friend. But all evidence and eyewitness accounts would suggest that Lady Katara Water Tribe just tried to assassinate me."

I stared at him, trying to form an explanation, an excuse, a denial. It couldn't be her. It just... couldn't.

... Could it?

My thoughts spun round and round, indelible memories splaying across the walls of my mind. Katara's face alighting with laughter; Katara's tears drying on her cheeks; Katara's strong arms curling with determination through the air as she commanded her element. I tried to add these flashes of accusation, tried to align then to the images I already knew so well. Katara's blade arching down into Kuei's side; Katara's smooth hands poised to hold a sphere of liquid around their heads; Katara's cool eyes watching them drown.

"Your guards are mistaken," I said quietly.

Kuei's eyes were full of empathy. "They were sure, Aang. Willing to bet their lives on it even. You think I would accuse her so easily?"

"Your guards are _mistaken_," I repeated, my voice dangerously even.

He sighed. "I wish it were so. But..."

"But?"

He seemed hesitant. I stared him down.

"Oh, Aang..." He closed his eyes. "I saw her face, her eyes. It was fast, she broke into my chambers quickly and wasted no time in her attack, but I saw it. There is no doubt in my mind. Katara stabbed me. I am so sorry." His apology seemed to extend past the accusation.

My insides were frozen in a sick state of denial.

"Where is she?" I croaked. "Where is she right now?"

He just hung his head.

"_WHERE?_"

His face held guilt, misery and certainty in equal parts, as only a king's could.

"The council insisted she be taken into custody. That she be... interrogated."

I bolted from the room without another word.

* * *

><p>Protocol.<p>

Procedure.

Propriety.

An hour of doing things by the book had me at my wits end.

My intention had been to storm into the council's chambers, demand Katara's release, and, magically fix this. Instead, I was told sharply to sit down and follow the... agenda.

The goddamn _agenda_.

If I was a good little Avatar, maybe they'd give me a cookie.

I stared across the table at ten grim faces. The Council of Ten had discussed tripling the guard, medical care for His Majesty, the arrival of Fire Lord Zuko [which seemed like a half-hearted attempt to distract me], and adjusting plans for the coronation. In fact, we'd addressed pretty much anything but what I desperately needed to hear: the state of the accused.

"This is ridiculous!" I snapped finally, for a brief moment not caring that I was practically snarling at the ten men who ruled the Earth Nation. "You can't actually think that Katara had anything to do with this."

General Lee coughed loudly. "I don't see what _that_ has to do with the revised Freedom of Information Act, Aang."

His scribe tapped the clipboard, the _agenda_, with nervous agitation.

I ignored them. "Where is she? I want to see her. Kuei says you apprehended her."

"She's being held in a safe location," Sir Heiwa answered, his tone more gentle than the rest. "She will remain there until we are finished with our investigation."

I slammed my hand down on the table. "Just because Kuei's guards claim they fought a dark-skinned waterbender, that doesn't mean it was her! She has _nothing_ to gain from his death."

"You can't know that," Sir Reno, agricultural minister, interjected harshly. "She may have been your childhood friend, but you've been in Ba Sing Se for the past several years. You haven't kept up with the political agenda of the savage Water Tribes."

"Don't you think that if they were planning an attack, or if there was the slightest bad feeling toward the Earth Nation, that our emissary might have mentioned it in her letters?" I retorted. "Kyoshi will be thrilled to hear that you're doubting the integrity of one of their warriors."

"Suki may have been compromised," Sir Reno snorted, "after all, she is betrothed to one the the Southern Water Tribe's warriors. Her loyalty is divided."

Sit Heiwa interjected. "Or perhaps she was unaware. Lady Katara may have acted of her own accord."

"Bullshit," I spat, finally voicing the thought that had been hovering in my mind for the last hour. "Tell the truth, counselors, did you hire a waterbender to take Kuei out? Just couldn't let go of the power so soon?"

All of my attempts at diplomacy had evaporated in the haze of disbelief and outrage. The logical part of my mind whispered that this wasn't the way to handle things. I ignored it, of course. Diplomacy wasn't working in my favour anymore.

"Be careful, Aang," Sir Heiwa replied coldly. "That's out of line. We may be at odds with the monarchy, but we would never kill anyone over it."

"Unlike your girlfriend," muttered someone at the end of the table. My head whipped around in an attempt to identify the speaker.

I could practically feel my blood boiling under my skin. Energy pulsed in my veins, the same energy that traced its way back through the generations before me. It was all I could do to contain it.

I inhaled deeply, trying to adopt a more cordial tone. "Gentlemen, please..."

"You have to understand our position, Aang," Sir Heiwa said mildly, unaware of the danger lurking right across from him. "This is a very serious matter. You may be the Avatar, but you still reside in our city, and under our laws. The investigation will, _must _continue, regardless of your relationship to this young woman. We need to discover her backers, who would want the former king dead." I made note of his phrasing, the stress on his past claim to the throne.

I tried to speak calmly. "Even under your law, she's entitled to counsel."

A stout man with a fu manchu piped up. It was Sir Kismot, the Educational Director.

"S-Surely you can't be suggesting that _you_ be her council?" He all but squeaked, "T-That would be entirely inappropriate, considering your role here."

A chorus of nods and agreement rippled around the table. "Besides," Sir Kismot continued, emboldened by the vocal support, "with the eyewitnesses, it's not likely to be much of a trial anyway."

I shook my head and smiled humourlessly at him, trying desperately not to jump across the table and throttle the man. "Look, it's as simple as this: either tell me where she is, or I'll just tear this place apart and find her myself."

The following silence seemed to go on forever. No one wanted to stand against me. Sometimes, being the Avatar worked in my favour. I could decimate their forces in a matter of minutes, as the Council well knew. They wouldn't want to start that fight.

The guards by the door trembled ever so slightly. If I appeared dangerous, they would have to attempt to subdue me, or be faced with charges of treason. I thought of the penalty for such a crime, and what would happen to Katara were she found guilty. My stomach twisted. Fear was indeed a weapon with a double-edge.

"You can accompany me to the interrogation," General Lee said quietly, "but only when we're finished here."

My insides rebelled against being made to wait, but I managed a stiff nod. "Thank you."

The men seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Almost a full turn of the hourglass later, a period in which I bit my tongue so many times it was now numb from the abuse, the meeting adjourned. I eagerly followed the general through the halls lined with full-up guest rooms, many of which cracked open curiously as we passed. We made our way up the winding staircases of the East Tower. They smelled of moss, decay, and something else. Possibly neglect, if there was a scent for that. Each step seemed to wind my gears tighter.

"You're keeping her in the high prison?" My voice echoed into the dank space.

He shot me a resentful look through tired, puffy eyes. "That is where the most dangerous criminals are kept, yes. You've put quite a few here yourself."

To be fair, as we emerged out of the stairwell, the smell seemed to lessen. Someone must have realized that human beings, no matter their crime, could not survive in a closed off space. A cool breeze, still laced with the day's humidity, wafted through the room. General Lee halted abruptly in front of a tall, wooden door and knocked. There was movement from within, followed by indistinct murmurs. I twitched with impatience.

The door finally opened. A thin man with reddish skin and sharp black eyebrows stood in the doorway, blocking my view.

"Yes?" He croaked, exposing square yellow teeth. "Oh, General Lee, hello. We've been expecting you." His glance passed over me. "And a visit from the Big Man himself, eh? What an honour!" The tone of voice practically seethed with insincerity.

"High Inquisitor Yu," the general nodded in acknowledgment. "We're here to sit in on the interrogation. Have you discovered anything from the suspect?"

He scowled. "She is... impudent."

There was a soft noise of protest from behind him, and the clatter of iron against stone. I recognized her voice immediately and shoved the inquisitor aside.

I'd been expecting to see Katara broken at the hands of these men, head hanging, helpless, forlorn. I'd expected to charge into the room, all knight-in-shining style and whisk her away. I'd expected her to cry, and that those tears of gratitude would erase all the damage I'd done earlier in the day.

... But I should've known that Katara Water Tribe didn't need anyone to save her.

"Come near me again and you'll be sorry," she hissed as we entered the room. Her hair was wild, floating around her head like a holy fire. Her sharp blue eyes were trained on the muscular guard standing in front of her. She held a thin spear of ice out at him, the rest of her half crouched against the far wall. Her wrists were red from the iron cuffs that were now unlocked and left discarded on the floor. I spotted the roll of sharp steel tools on the table in the middle of the room; tools clearly made for inflicting pain had no place in a simple suspect questioning. I shot a pointed glare at the man in charge.

"What is this?" I growled. My voice seemed to snap Katara's focus. She jumped.

"Aang?" She asked in a breathless syllable. Her face hardened. "I didn't do it."

I took a ginger step towards her. "Of course not."

She nodded, breathing deeply and rising to her feet in one fluid gesture. My heart warmed at how she didn't even take a second to doubt my response. She glared at the High Inquisitor and threw her ice blade at his feet. It shattered.

"Sweat blade?" I observed, feeling off balance now that my Save the Day plan had been ruined by her timely competence.

Katara shrugged nonchalantly.

"I conveniently perspire when I'm threatened with torture," she replied, but the confidence in her voice was effectively ruined by her shaking legs. Seeing through her brave face, I wanted nothing more than to embrace her.

"Torture?" Instead, I turned to Yu. His cinnamon face had paled drastically. "That's no way to treat an honoured diplomat from the Southern Water Tribe, now is it?"

He looked like he wanted to argue, but instead stuffed his hands into his pockets sullenly. "It was all for show. Besides, _she's_ the one who tried to kill His Majesty."

"As I've been trying to tell you for the past three hours, I did no such thing," she hissed at him. I noted that her dress had been torn at the shoulder, exposing the top of her left breast. It was very distracting.

The General took this opportunity to interject. "Lady Katara, I apologize if you've been frightened, but at this moment in time, there is overwhelming evidence against you. Eyewitnesses place you at the scene," he looked down at the shattered ice, "you are obviously very skilled with a frozen blade, which just so happens to be the weapon that nearly ended the royal line."

She opened her mouth, then closed it. Her head wobbled back and forth helplessly. "But I _didn't_-"

"-Prove it." General Lee's tone was firm. "Give us an alibi, give us any reason to erase this doubt from our minds. Where were you at midday? Where were you when the attack happened?"

"I was... walking. In the Lower Ring..." As she blinked her tired eyes, an Idea made its way into my head. Ideas flittered in and out daily, despite popular opinion, and normally I kept them between me and my mind, but this one, this absolutely misguided and absolutely terrible Idea, forced itself to my lips before I could stop it.

"Just tell him, Katara," I said quietly, "just tell him where you were at midday."

She gave me a strange look. "Tell him..?"

"Privacy isn't worth your life. Just tell him you..." I couldn't stop my eyes from finding hers, "... you were with me."

Her lips, her luscious burgundy lips, pursed in confusion. "With.. you."

The Idea forced my head into a nod. I knew who I could count on to back me up, who I could count on to lie for me without hesitation. He'd done it before. The stakes were higher now, but he was a loyal friend.

I licked my lips. "It's okay, Katara."

The general looked back and forth between us, brow crinkled. "Aang, are you saying that _you_ are her alibi?"

I nodded again. "We were in The Bow and Arrow, an inn in the Lower Ring, in a room on the top floor. We were there, together, at the time Kuei was attacked. Ask the Innkeeper, a man by the name of Longshot. He'll vouch for us." I'd have to send a message to him, to make the ex-Freedom fighter aware of the situation, before the guards reached him. It would be close, but doable.

"Why didn't you say so earlier..?" He asked doubtfully. "I'm sure, if the council had know you were, ahem, _with_ her, we would've released her earlier." I could hear the distaste in his voice.

'Because I hadn't thought of it earlier' didn't seem an appropriate response, so I sighed, forcing myself to appear reluctant.

"I was trying to save face, General Lee," I continued, hoping that he would attribute my shaking voice to stress instead of dishonesty, "And I certainly hadn't expected you to proceed with such a harsh method of... interrogation. Katara and I didn't want our personal business to become common knowledge. I get so little privacy as it is. But obviously someone wants to frame her, and I won't have her sentenced to death because I want to avoid gossip."

Katara seemed very confused, which was completely unhelpful. At least her sense of fair play didn't make her outright deny it. She wasn't stupid. She knew that if she reputed my claim, she'd be signing her own death certificate. I could see the wheels turning behind her eyes. Her lips were pressed together tightly. She didn't like it, but she recognized what I was trying to do. A scandal was preferable to a hanging.

Not entirely convinced, the general turned towards Katara. "Lady, is this true?"

She stepped forward then, bare feet stepping daintily over the discarded handcuffs. She stood beside me and laced a hand through mine. Her nails dig into my palm; her voice was expressionless. "Do you think the Avatar would lie to you?"

A nice way to avoid a falsehood of her own. I tried not to wince as she dug her claws into my skin.

"No..." He said, looking back and forth between us with an odd look on his wrinkled face. "I shall go and inform the council. We will have to discover the identity of the real assassin. Can I expect your assistance in the matter, Sir Aang?"

"Of course," I said with conviction, glad for the chance to be honest again. "I'll aid the investigation in any way I can. For now, however, I will escort Lady Katara to her residence. I'm sure her father is wondering where she is."

He gave a snort of derision. "I'm sure her father will be wondering a great many things."

He nodded once then and barked clean-up orders to the remaining men before dismissing the interrogator. High Inquisitor Yu slunk away, shooting us a resentful look as he skulked past me. I led Katara out of the tiny room, and down the stairs carefully. She stared straight ahead, releasing my hand the second we were out of sight. Her lips were still pressed together and her silence was pointed, if such a thing were possible. In fact, she didn't so much as look at me until we were past the palace gates, and well out of earshot of any royal personnel.

"Aang," she said, still refusing to face me, "While I'm pretty confused about it, I really am grateful for your help, so don't take this the wrong way, but..."

I frowned. "... But..?"

She turned and looked deep into my eyes; blue wasn't a complex enough word for the colour of her irises, and I got momentarily lost in the depths.

Katara took a step back, and raised her arm.

The sound of flesh on flesh echoed into the distance. My head snapped back.

I turned slowly back to look at her, choking on my words as a hand went, unbidden, to my jaw.

"... D-Did you just _punch_ me?"

"Aang," she hissed, "you may have saved my neck, but my honour has now officially gone to _shit. _Andwhat were you thinking, lying to the general? You think the council is going to buy that for long?"

"Honor?" I gaped, shocked greater still by her coarse language. "You could've been hanged and you're worried about your bloody _honour_? Have you been stealing pages from Zuko's script or what?"

"All a girl really has is her honour." She turned away from me, hair swishing loosely around her shoulders. She peeked back at me from under dark lashes.

"Besides, you're still a terrible liar."

The words formed a statement, but her eyes, those lovely, wicked, esoteric eyes, asked me a dozen questions.

_Why had I said it? Why that? Why not anything else? _Those queries were echoed by my own, worsened all the more by the guilt that followed on their tails.

_What if she... did it? What if I'd just covered for a murderer? Why was I so sure of her innocence? Was I blinded by my feelings? Had I endangered the king even further?_

I felt for a fleeting moment like I was living two realities. One, the real, in which the woman standing before me could have tried to murder the King. And the other, the wish, in which she was completely innocent because she _was_ with me, intwined in me, guiltless, free and clear.

Her eyes closed then, and I let the questions go with them, letting myself momentarily live the lie.

Monk Gyatso had told me more than once to be careful what I prayed for; like many things, wishes were dangerous in the hands of the Avatar.

I watched her breathe slowly, almost cautiously, and forced myself to believe that this was different.

* * *

><p><strong>?<strong>

_- 000 -_

I tapped my toe in a steady rhythm, noting the annoyed expression and ignoring it.

"Is it done?" The question sounded like a threat. I didn't care for that.

"... Yeah."

"But he's alive?"

I shrugged. "Should be, although I don't get it... What's the point of letting him live?"

"It's better that you don't understand. All you need concern yourself with is your end of the bargain. You're doing nicely so far."

A cart ambled by. We were silent until well after it left our sight. Couldn't be too careful. You never knew who was listening in this damn city.

"I'm glad you're... satisfied," I spat.

"No need to sound so bitter. You're doing this for a good cause."

"Not _my_ cause."

"No, I suppose it isn't. But you'll get your reward soon enough."

I stilled my foot, staring intently into those dark-rimmed eyes.

"I'd fucking better," I huffed, hoping the gruffness would mask my fear.

Something in the answering smile told me it hadn't.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**_

Oooh, mystery... I hope you guys like a little political intrigue with your romance. I know some of you might have found Aang to be a little out of character this chapter, but he was under some pressure. I think that, given time and his immense Avatar responsibilities, he would develop a little resentment and (a)angst alongside his boundless energy and puppy-like enthusiasm. You may disagree, but I'm driving. :D

Next chapter snippets: Rumours abound, and Ba Sing Se shows its true colours. Heavy chats with heavy-handed fathers. The Fire Lord does some investigating. Toph gets dirty, while Katara plays dirty...

I hope you enjoyed reading. Don't forget to review!

Thanks!_**  
><strong>_


	7. Seven: Doors, Windows, Ears, Eyes

_Hi all. _Yes, yes, I know, I made you wait forever. But if you kill me, who will update then, hm? This chapter has been ripe with indecision for me. I must've written four totally different versions. As you can see below, I couldn't even decide on just one title! Blergh!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

_A:TLA_ is not my intellectual property. ... Come to think of it, I do not own real estate of any kind.

:o_  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>Foreign Affairs<strong>_  
><em>

_Chapter Seven: Doors, Windows; Ears, Eyes _

_[A.K.A - The Bureaucracy of the Booty Call]_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Katara<strong>_

_- 000 -  
><em>

It is known throughout the educated circles of the world, that waterbenders get their power from the moon, just as firebenders' efforts are enhanced with the sun. I must say, however, that I have never in my entire life been so grateful to see the rich white crescent beginning to show herself in the darkening sky. It's not that I was seeking amplification of my natural abilities, not at all. If anything, my status as a master waterbender was causing me nothing but grief today. No, I was relieved beyond belief to see the moon simply because it meant that this bloody awful day was coming to a close.

If there was anything to be said for the residents of Ba Sing Se, it was this: They sure knew how to stare a girl down.

With the natural light dying, and dusk settling it, it was a lot less likely that people could identify me at a distance. To an accused traitor, darkness was a comforting ally.

Aang had left me to fend for myself, taking off on his glider into the bowels of the city. He claimed he had to go and solidify our alibi. _My_ alibi. He hadn't looked me in the eye since we'd left the palace grounds, hadn't offered me anything in the way of comfort or explanation. He'd just told that outrageous lie and then left, claiming he'd return to my guesthouse as soon as he'd secured Longshot's cooperation. I hadn't seen the ex-Freedom Fighter since the war had ended, at a small ceremony in honour of his former leader. I tried not to think of Jet very often; as disrespectful as that may be, thoughts of him hurt more than the fleeting guilt of forgetfulness.

After all that, why would Longshot put his livelihood on the line for me? Or was it for Aang?

The questions circled my brain, looping over and over each other until they resembled a snake eating its own tail. I kept putting one foot in front of the other, trying desperately to ignore the curious glances from passers by as I trotted as quickly as possible back to the house.

Every second that ticked by, the rumours of Aang and I spread ever so quickly throughout the nervous system of Ba Sing Se. The news, however mortifying it might have been to my pride, was preferable to gossip about my newfound status of failed assassin. But why? Why had Aang offered himself up so willingly? Was his faith in me still so intact after all these years, that he wouldn't even stop for a second to suspect me?

It was enough to give a lady a splitting migraine, a blood-red blush, and an inescapable bout of paranoia.

As much as I tried to rationalize his actions, the logical potion of my mind simply couldn't understand why Aang would say such a thing. Sure, he'd known the sticky situation I was in. Apparently, someone wanted the king dead very badly, and that same party wanted everyone to think I'd been behind it. Who would possibly choose me as a scapegoat? Did someone have a grudge against the water tribes?

It made my stomach flutter to think that Aang hadn't doubted my innocence for a moment, but I couldn't help like I was missing something. When I'd last saw him, we'd nearly bitten each other's heads off. And now, this... His loyalty was enough to give me a catch in the back of my throat. Maybe he still cared after all? I dowsed that hopeful thought quickly. I had more than enough to deal with right now without worrying whether or not Aang's little falsehood had any ulterior motivation.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught two older ladies, dressed in their evening finery, staring openly at me; expressions of disdain wrinkled their already well-lined faces. My head snapped back to the cobblestones at my feet.

My mind was still spinning. My hair was tangled in such a way that I was sure anyone who saw me would simply assume I'd just tumbled out of the Avatar's love nest; my dress was torn at the shoulder, and I was positively covered in sweat and dirt [torture threats really did tend to make one perspire rather profusely]. Clearly, I was in no shape to face down the nosy mobs of this encapsulated city. The people here seemed to marinate in their own gossip, the same rumours being regurgitated over and over, each retelling layered with more and more subjective embellishment. Only five minutes ago, I'd heard a paperboy's boisterous retelling of Aang and I's supposed 'night of passion', as if we'd had a live audience and a scribe to take down all the tawdry details. That alone had nearly sent me sprawling to the ground in embarrassment.

My gods. How had this news spread so _quickly_? How was it even possible? It had only been half a day since my arrest, and only an hour or two past Aang's false confession. Had the palace made some kind of announcement, or released a city-wide memo?

Perhaps this was Aang's way of punishing me for slugging him in the jaw. I felt slightly bad about that; it was more an act of surprise than actual anger. I could still feel the faint remainders of adrenaline coursing through my veins. It made me light-headed, and slightly more clumsy than usual. That must've been why I didn't see the incoming female blockade until I all but stumbled into it.

"Watch where you're going," a light trilling voice made me look up. Three well-coiffed young ladies, dressed in rich-coloured, high-necked silk dresses, stood just slightly in front of me. I glanced desperately over their shoulders. Of course. This would happen when the guesthouse was a mere block away. Wonderful.

I made an apologetic gesture, trying not to make eye contact for fear of initiating some kind of aggressor response. I found it easiest to treat the fine ladies of the Inner Ring much like wild hog-bears; back away slowly and avoid showing dominance.

I bowed my head. "Sorry about that. I guess I didn't see you there. If you'll excuse me..."

A hand came down on my shoulder. I don't know if it was the stress from the previous few hours, but I smacked it away instinctually. I guess I hadn't realized how much my encounter with High Inquisitor Yu had shaken me. Now wasn't the time to reflect on that; such thoughts were better left for under the blankets late at night, where I could clutch a pillow and tremble to my heart's content.

"How dare you," the first girl snapped, recoiling as if I'd struck her a fatal blow. "That is no way to act..." As her eyes flickered across my face, she let her words trail off.

"I'm sorry," I tried again cautiously, "I didn't mean to hurt you." I felt a lump form in my throat.

Her eyes widened. "My lord. It's _her_."

The lump solidified and plummeted straight into my stomach. _Oh crap._

Another of the girls leaned forward, as if to inspect me. "Oh, Leila, I do believe you're right. It IS her."

The third wrinkled her pert nose. "But she's so... disheveled. I can't imagine our darling Aangy would ever tardy himself with_ her_."

Our... darling... Aangy..? I felt the strongest urge to vomit, but instead forced my insecurities into a tight ball of apathy. I was growing very tired of being examined like a firefly in a jar, and I used that annoyance to harden my voice.

"Ladies, please. I've had a bad day, and I really don't care to be spoken about as if I'm not here."

The first girl, whose pretty, tiny features had arranged themselves on her face in a kind of hungry excitement, licked her lips. "You're Lady Katara Water Tribe, aren't you?"

I nodded, trying to keep the panic off my face. "I really must be going."

"Nonsense!" The girl, Leila, exclaimed. "My father is Sir Heiwa, and his attendants told me _all _about you." That caught my attention. This was the daughter of the most powerful man in the city, next to Kuei? Oh gods. The spirits were certainly having a good laugh at my expense today, weren't they?

I rubbed a hand against my temple. "I'm sure he did."

"Nothing happens in the palace without my knowing it," she explained, chest puffing like a peacock-rooster. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Well then," I opened my arms wide in a gesture of surrender. "If you must tear me apart, have at it. I haven't got all day. I'm a hussy, devoid of honour and basic human value, blah blah blah. Do your worst, but do it quickly. I have other things to think about than how high your noses can get."

They remained in silent contemplation for a brief moment. A wide smile stretched across Leila's rose-tinted lips.

"Are you joking? The girls and I have been trying to seduce the Avatar for _months._ We're not going to tear you down; we want to know how you_ did_ it!"

"And so fast!"

"And with such... flair!"

My arms flopped back down to my sides, bravado deflating in shock.

Leila laced her arm through mine. "I mean, seriously, Shanai and I were with him last night until, what, midnight?"

Her shorter companion, the one who'd dubbed him 'darling Aangy', nodded sharply. "He signed my clavicle!"

It took me a moment to digest this. Last night, Aang had chosen these girls as company rather than me. These beautiful, well-connected girls, probably with brains as tiny as their waists.

That stung more than I would care to admit.

Leila rolled her eyes at her friend, and fluffed her perfectly arranged black curls. "Now tell me, how long have you and the Avatar been an item?"

"An item..?" I replied weakly. She pulled me away from her henchwomen, much to their dismay, and patted my arm like we were the closest of friends.

"Yes. Together. Involved. I simply _must _know."

I read between the lines. If this city ran on gossip, then giving this young woman first pick of information could give me at least some tiny amount of control over it. Perhaps I could salvage the situation, if I played my cards right. I felt like a fool, but that didn't mean I had to look like one. Leila seemed more intelligent than the average noblewoman. While that wasn't saying much, it was clear that all she really wanted was some way of distinguishing herself from her peers. As long as I didn't get in the way of that, she would have no reason to bother with me.

If Aang could pull an epic falsehood out of his hat, so could I.

I inhaled deeply. "Well, Leila, is it? I haven't told anyone this, but... Can I trust you?"

Her eyes lit up like paper lanterns at a fire nation festival. "My dearest Katara... You can tell me _anything_."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Aang<strong>_

_- 000 -_**  
><strong>

The Bow and Arrow, while bought and paid for with the winnings from many an official archery tournament, wasn't exactly the most reputable of establishments. It seemed to attract the most... colourful of Ba Sing Se's many residents. Thieves, outcasts and bandits all flocked to the inn, but not for the reasons one might think.

Longshot, for all his stoicism and aloofness, was a really excellent cook. And his partner... well, let's just say she encouraged some of the guests' more rowdy tendencies.

"Aw, c'mon, big guy! Are you tellin' me that's all you got?"

The woman's grin was equally gleeful and contemptuous. The large, blond, tattooed man sitting across the table from her scowled, and put more of his weight into the table. The veins in his arms bulged more with each snigger that escaped her lips. The pressure of their elbows made the table creak, threatening to snap under the pressure.

I sighed. "Sorry to interrupt the arm wrestling, 'Bee, but I really need to talk to Longshot. Is he here?"

The girl-woman turned her head slightly, peering curiously up at me from under a thick curtain of auburn bangs. Her opponent grunted in dismay; apparently the distraction hadn't lessened the pressure.

"What's the big rush, Aang? Dont'cha want to stick around for a rematch?" She asked, flashing a grin that wrinkled the two streaks of dried red paint that ran up both cheeks. I shook my head good-naturedly.

"And lose again? I doubt my pride could handle that." I glanced quickly at the door again. How much time did I have before guards arrived for their Imperial Question Period? "Really, though. This is urgent."

Her grin faded. "Urgent, huh?" With a loud slam that made me jump, she hammered the large man's hand into the table and hopped to her feet. "Why didn't you say so before?"

The hulking blond's eyes were wide with shock. "B-But... wha.. how...?"

Smellerbee stared down at him, hand on her cocked hip, eyes twinkling.

"It's all in the wrist, buddy. You'll get there."

He choked. "But you're a _girl_."

She smirked as she dusted herself off. "Damn straight I am."

I had to smile at that little piece of remuneration; the tomboy no longer had to worry about people mistaking her for a boy. Seven years had molded Smellerbee's body into a curvy, compact build that was as much woman as it was warrior. She still wore the headband, and kept her hair in a gender-nonspecific shag, but her fighter's chestpiece and leggings no longer fully hid her more female attributes. She'd taken to the changes like a caterpillar-beetle to a buttermoth, unlike her newest cohort, Toph, who was still struggling.

The man slammed his uninjured fist on the table. "Y-You must've cheated!"

I was about to protest on Bee's behalf, when there was a loud cough from across the room. It came from a tall man with unremarkable features and a thousand yard stare. His black hair was in its usual topknot, I noted, but the rest of his everyday attire was replaced with a respectable-looking tunic and black pants.

The tattooed man's face drained of colour when he looked up. He waited a moment, before adding hastily, "N-Not that I think you'd ever _cheat._ Because, uh, cheating is... uh..." There was another cough. "Uh... dishonourable?"

The man in the tunic nodded his approval ever so slightly, his lips curving. The defeated wrestler immediately rose from his chair and hurried from the room, taking along his open-mouthed companion and leaving the three of us alone.

"Hey, Longshot," I greeted the approaching figure, "still ruling this place with an iron silence, eh?" He shrugged, catching Smellerbee under his arm with a natural sense of belonging that I quietly envied. The two fit together so well, and could finish each other's sentences. Or rather, 'Bee could just speak his sentences for him, seeing as Longshot wasn't exactly enthusiastic about small talk... Or any talk.

"So what's so urgent that you had to interrupt my match?" She asked, taking his palm and rubbing it against her cheek. "It's been weeks since we've seen you. Longshot figured you'd be too busy with the big ol' coronation approaching to stop by and see us. What gives?"

"Well, I, uh, need you to do me a favour. A big one."

They waited.

I cleared my throat. "I don't know if you've heard, but someone tried to assassinate King Kuei earlier." Neither of their eyes registered shock, so I continued, "and they claim Katara was the assassin." Smellerbee's eyes widened slightly, but Longshot remained stoic. I pushed the rest out in a rushed breath. "I may have told the Council that Katara had an alibi, that she was here, with me, at the time of the attack. And that we were, um, alone, in one of your rooms. I might need you to... vouch for us."

By the end, my ears were glowing. I bit the inside of my cheek to quell the embarrassment.

Smellerbee's face threatened to break, and the knowing look in Longshot's dark eyes made my eyes narrow. "... But you knew all of this already and just wanted to hear me say it, didn't you?"

'Bee burst out in raucous laughter. He gave a little shrug as if to say 'not my idea'.

"Oh yeah, we knew," she snickered, "it's pretty commonplace news by now. You know how this city works."

I rubbed my temple. "Behold the wonder of the magic grapevine of Ba Sing Se."

She smirked. "So, you and Katara, eh? Sittin' in an inn... Doin' some k-i-s-s-i-n."

"You forgot the 'g'," I said dryly.

"Did you teach Katara spelling while you were up there with her?" She retorted with a gleeful sneer. "Is _that_ what we should tell the guards? 'Oh, it's okay, guys. They were just _practicing proper grammar_!'" She doubled over with the force of her giggles.

"Some friends you are."

"Only the best of friends lie for each other," Longshot explained quietly, finally allowing his face a brief smile.

"So you'll do it?" I paused. "I know this won't be easy for you..."

"Are you kidding?" Bee interjected. "This is prime entertainment territory for me. Longshot will have to speak, in length. Somehow I doubt he can just stare the guards down."

Her partner glared at her pointedly.

"... Or maybe he can," she added, "either way, I'm making popcorn!"

I smiled, and let myself breathe for a moment. "Thank you, both. This means a lot to me."

Bee swished her hand through the air dismissively. "Nonsense. Just remember to invite us to the wedding. Ooh, or better yet, make Longshot your best man. Speech, speech, speech!" Longshot rolled his eyes. She reached up to pat his head. "Now, now, big guy. I'm just kidding. Those two are definitely the eloping kind."

I frowned. "I did say that this was a cover, right? We never actually spent the night here."

She shot me a playful, skeptical look. "A pretty convenient 'cover', if you ask me. How'd she take it?"

I thought of the punch and rubbed my jaw. "Not... _well_."

That just made Bee laugh harder.

A hard, official-sounding knock on the outer door interrupted her. In one fluid motion, Longshot gestured his head, Smellerbee took my arm, and we slipped out the back, through the kitchen. We made our way up the wooden stairs to the top floor. Without a word, she opened the balcony window.

"Wait a minute before flying away on that contraption," she hissed, "it'll be mighty suspicious if they see you." She bit her lip. "Oh, and tell her Tophness to come around when this stuff has blown over. I've got some new tough-guy customers she'd just love to humiliate."

"Will do." Bee and Toph had developed a friendship through the mutual love of delivering humble pie to select chauvinistic residents. I fully supported the acquaintance. The blind girl could learn a thing or two from Bee, and vice-versa, although both could use a lesson in not mocking their goddamn Avatar and saviour. I mean, really, what did it take to earn a little respect around here?

"Oh, and Aang..?"

I looked back at her, arching my brow.

"Katara... You don't think she actually... did it, do you?" There was a trace of vulnerability beneath those thick bangs. I tried to find that conviction I'd felt earlier, but it seemed to have been diluted by time. Still, I couldn't very well leave the ex-Freedom Fighter with any hint of doubt. I gazed into her kohl-rimmed eyes with forced steadiness.

"She had nothing to do with it. There is not a doubt in my mind that she's innocent."

That seemed to placate Bee, and her tense form relaxed. "Good. Well, happy flying. I'm off to witness the staring contest." I nodded, and she left the room, locking it behind her.

I sighed and watched for any sign that the guards were eyeing the skies. The sun hung low and fiery red on the rooftops, and darkness crept in inch by inch.

_... No doubt in my mind..._

Today was a beautiful day for lying one's ass off.

Once the sun had departed, and the shadows rose to my advantage, I opened my glider and took off into the sky. At first I debated just letting the wind take me wherever it blew, but I knew that wasn't the right thing to do. I'd learned better than to run away from my troubles, and so I ushered the breeze into my sails and flew towards the Inner Ring.

There was a distant clap of thunder; a warning of things to come.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Katara<strong>_

_-000-**  
><strong>_

I took one look at the guards posted around the house and wanted to run away as quickly as possible. I fought down the instinct, the itch to bolt, and approached with as much dignity as I could muster. It shouldn't have surprised me to see a man in uniform at my door. The palace probably wanted to be sure my father and I didn't make a quick getaway.

"Lady Katara," the guard nodded, opening the door for me. I recognized him as one of the party that had arrested me and for a brief second I flashed back to the interrogation room, saw the sharp, dangerous devices on the table. I inhaled a harsh breath, but before I had the chance to open the door, he said something quietly.

"P-Pardon?" I asked.

"I would like to apologize for earlier," he repeated, "I had no idea that you and the Avatar-"

I interrupted him with a hand. "Not necessary. You were just doing your job." Before he could respond, I slid in the door and let it close behind me. I leaned the full weight of my body against it, letting myself sink to the ground in relief. Finally, I'd made it home. Well, not home, but as close as I was going to get in this foreign place.

In that moment, I had never missed the ice and snow so much. The open space, where you could see a person coming for miles before they reached you. I missed the slow, reliable ebb and flow of the tides, so efficiently reflecting the steady lives of the people that lived there. I missed my brother, even. Surely Sokka of all people could find humour in this situation.

"Katara?"

I looked up. My father stood by the dining table, a concerned look on his hardened face. It only took me a second to identify that accusing stare. He'd worn the same expression whenever I'd been out longer than he'd expected at home. Except now there was a lot more to be worried about than a broken curfew in a tiny snow village.

I rose to my feet slowly. "What have you heard?"

His lips barely moved. "Rumours. At least, I'm hoping they're rumours."

"If you've heard the one about me, the dog and the broomstick, I wouldn't worry."

"What about the one where my only daughter sneaks off to have premarital sex in a hostel for criminals?"

I found my eyes prickling and gazed down at the floor to disguise them. "It... ah... Let' just say that this wasn't my best day ever."

"Katara..."

I heard him cough in that awkward fatherly way that indicated he'd seen my tears. I heard wooden legs squeak against the tiled floor, and the sound of him easing his weight into the delicately-carved, pink satin-cushioned chair. The juxtaposition was mildly ridiculous.

"Guards had me halfway to the palace before they received word of your innocence," he said lightly. "They weren't too happy with me. I think I broke a man's arm before they got me into that wagon."

My head shot up to look at him. "You were arrested?"

He smiled darkly. "Wasn't my idea, I assure you. "

"Like father, like daughter, eh?"

His smile flattened. "Not quite. There were a few... differences in our alibis."

"Dad, I-"

"-Can explain?" He folded his arms. "Try me."

"We can't talk here. Someone might overhear us."

"Like the half dozen guards outside? What could they overhear that isn't already public knowledge?"

I let out a wordless groan. "Things have gotten kind of... complicated. It's not what you think."

He clenched his jaw and stared down at the floor for a moment before looking back up at me. "I didn't know you had such strong feelings for him still. You could have mentioned it, we could have talked. You didn't have to run off behind my back."

"I didn't," the words slipped out, "but even if I had, it really isn't your business." I tried to quell my speech, but my lips kept moving all on their own. "I'm not a child anymore."

I'd always promised myself that I was never going to be _that_ kind of daughter, and I felt my ears redden at the platitude coming from my mouth.

My father responded to my cliche in kind.

"You're _my _child. Everything you do is my business. Especially when you do it in such a public, shameless fashion. We are representing our tribe, our _nation_, Katara. I thought you understood that."

"I do!"

He shook his head. "Katara, you were always so grown up for your age. Even as a child, you acted with a dignity and intelligence well beyond your years." My heart swelled at the pride behind his eyes.

"But, daughter of mine, when it comes to Aang, you act like a complete idiot."

My eyes widened. "E-Excuse me?"

"I've heard rumours about you two, certainly, but I've also heard rumours about him and other girls. He isn't the man you think, or should I say, he isn't the boy you remember." He sighed. "And even if he is, I don't want you to put your faith in him. That boy isn't good for you."

"That _boy_ has saved the world."

"Don't think I would forget that so lightly," he shot back, eyes flaring, "I was fighting that war long before you were born. Gratitude is one thing, Katara, but it shouldn't make you blind."

"My eyesight is just fine, thank you."

"You know what I mean."

"Dad, this isn't really about Aang and I. Did you forget that someone tried to frame me? How about we gain some perspective here?"

He sighed. "Yes, that is a problem. We'll get to the bottom of this, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to forget what your alibi was."

"At least I had one," I retorted, "if I hadn't, they would have never let me leave that... that... torture room." The shake in my voice wasn't just for his benefit.

"They tried to torture you? Without a trial?"

His mouth was agape; the idea of a punishment without a hearing was unheard of to him. I saw then, more clearly than ever, that my father was wholly unprepared to deal with the sneaky politics of the capital city. I traced my gaze around the lines of his face, the dark circles and deep etches; I saw the confusion and, finally, the fear that stemmed from a feeling of powerlessness. Chief Hakoda was even more lost in all of this than I was. All my concern over his poor opinion, his strict morals, seemed to evaporate as a strong urge to comfort him rushed over me.

I stood up and walked towards him. "Yes, Dad. But I'm okay."

He'd taken care of me for so long. I'd learnt self-sufficiency during the war, and when it was over, I had gladly let him take over being the caregiver, the mentor. I'd slipped effortlessly back into the role of dutiful tribe daughter, lavishing in the simplicity of it all, all the while not realizing what I'd given up. He was my father, but I was more than just his offspring.

"... I hate this city," he grunted, forcing the fear from his expression.

I had to smile. "You hate all cities."

"Not ours."

"I doubt anyone except maybe you and Bato would call our home a city," I chuckled, "Aang says-"

"-I don't want to hear what 'Aang says'."

"Dad..." I caught his eye, "he saved my neck today. If he hadn't told them..."

He scowled. "You expect me to be grateful to him for destroying your reputation? For shaming the Southern Water Tribe?"

I snorted. "Somehow I doubt our tribe's honour rests solely on who is or isn't in my bed, Dad."

He shook his head. "Fine then. This brings shame on _me_."

That stung. Sometimes I forgot that my father was raised during different times. War times, where duty and honour could be the only thing holding a tribe together, where the slightest infraction was damaging to the health of the people as a whole and thus unforgivable.

"As far as anyone knows, they're just rumours. And besides, people don't see things like this the same as they did when you were growing up." I thought of Leila. "No one will look down on me for being with him."

He just stared at me, stared for so long I started to feel uncomfortable. The silence was broken by a sharp knock on the door. I was glad to turn away to answer it, if only to escape his penetrating gaze.

Aang was standing there, still wearing the orange robe from earlier. His hair, which I still wasn't used to, was flopping in his eyes from the humidity. He looked tired.

"Hello," he said, with reserved stiffness, "can I come in?" I glanced at the nearby guard, who was trying very hard not to look interested.

"Now's not the best time," I said quietly, "my father isn't exactly in a welcoming mood."

"Why?" He asked, brows furrowing. I gave him a skeptical look and his mouth rounded into an 'oh'.

"You mean he still doesn't know..." He started, "... uh, about us?" The recovery was shaky.

"Let him in, Katara." My father's voice echoed from behind me.

Aang swallowed. "Maybe I should leave..."

"Is he too afraid to face me?" Dad asked, tone seething with disapproval. Aang's face turned stubborn and he had the door open before I could react. My gods, but he'd gotten _fast_.

I shot the closest guard a pointed glare; his previously neutral expression had taken on a smirk.

"Do you mind babysitting us from somewhere besides our front stoop?" I asked coldly.

He raised his hands, palms out. "Just doin' my job, lady."

"Do you job from over there," I growled, pointing to the garden, "it's not like we're going to slip out in the middle of the night." I flicked my wrist and the rain water from the roof gutters emptied out on his head in a steady stream. "Besides, it looks like it's going to rain all night on this porch."

"Hey now! I'm moving, I'm moving... Sheesh." His clothes dripped as he ambled out onto the pathway, mumbling bitterly about benders. I turned back into the house only to find Aang and my father standing face to face in a rather intense staring match.

"-seduced my daughter," my father was saying sharply.

"I wouldn't say that, sir."

"Oh really? And what would you call it?"

"Providing her with an out, saving her life, take your pick." Aang's voice was defiant, but I could tell it was two-thirds bravado.

"You certainly think a lot of yourself, don't you, son?"

"Son? Are you giving me your blessing?"

"Not in a thousand years. What you did was dishonourable. You could have asked me for permission."

"To sleep with her? I knew you were a bit old fashioned, but that is just-"

"-How _dare_ you..."

"Enough!" I shouted. "Gods, I am so sick of this!"

They both looked at me. I scowled.

"Aang, stop being such an ass to my father."

"But, I-"

"And Dad, stop being such a... a Dad, to Aang."

"Katara, I hardly think-"

Confident, finally, in our solitude, I let the truth come out. "Aang and I did not sleep together. He lied to the General, to the Council, to get me out of a very sticky situation."

Dad's face paled. "W-What?"

Aang's expression went from triumphant to ashamed in a matter of seconds.

"It's not the best thing," I continued firmly, "but it's happened and now we have to play along, or I risk getting my neck chopped. No one else can know about this, understand?"

My father stared.

"_Understand_?" I repeated firmly.

Dad nodded ever so slightly, still looking a bit dazed. Aang bit his lip.

My father opened his mouth, closed it, opened it, and then said finally, "I _really_ _hate_ this city."

I walked over and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "I know, Dad. I know. But don't think I'm going to completely forgive you for calling me stupid."

He groaned. "Sokka would have never gotten himself into this situation. Why couldn't I have had two sons?"

Aang piped up. "For the record, I'm kind of glad you didn't."

Dad's head snapped around. "Don't think I'm finished with _you_. That was a very damaging thing to say. We're going to have a long discussion about this, Avatar. You made this up, and now you're going to honour my daughter."

He shrugged. "Should I propose now, or wait for the coronation?"

Dad paled again, choking on air. "Don't. even. joke." He gave his head a shake, exhaling messily. "I'm... going to bed, and you, Avatar Aang, are going home. Now."

Aang saluted. "Yessir."

Dad shot me a disparaging look and walked up to his room; the stairs creaked under his weight and I could hear him muttering under his breath until he was out of sight.

Aang turned to me, a twinkle in his eye. "I think that went well. We shall be married in the Spring."

I snorted. "What makes you think I'd even say yes?"

"Well, you Water Tribe folk are big fans of the whole 'honour and duty' thing, so..."

"Do I need to punch you again?"

He backed up a step, raising his hands in a placating gesture.

"No, no, once was enough. You've got quite a strong left hook, Miss Water Tribe."

"And you've got a big mouth. I guess that makes us even."

His eyebrow quirked. "I don't think so. Your fists haven't saved my life today."

"My fists will _end_ your life if you ever bait my father like that again," I mock-growled. "What is with you? The boy I knew was playful, but never so reckless."

He shrugged, the smile slipping from his lips. "Maybe I'm not the boy you knew anymore." His words echoed my father's eerily and I felt a chill of deja vu run up my spine. I tried desperately to ignore it.

"Did you, um, have any luck with Longshot?" I asked quietly. He nodded, seeming to understand that the less was said on the matter, the safer we'd both be.

"This is going to work," he murmured, "you don't need to look so worried."

"Easy for you to say. Someone isn't trying to play you against the Earth King." I wrapped my arms around myself. "We need to find out who did this."

"We will," he promised, "I won't let anyone hurt you."

I arched my head to the side, taking in his face; part bashful child, part self-assured man.

"I don't need your protection, Aang." I wasn't just saying that. I knew my strength, my abilities. I could look out for myself, that I knew. I didn't need him.

Of course, that tiny girl part of me protested vehemently. I forced it away. Now was so not the time.

His grey eyes peered down at me, taking in my words carefully before responding. "But your father might, and your brother, once he arrives."

I bit my lip, and nodded slightly. "Thank you, but hopefully I can protect them too. I appreciate it, though."

He dipped his head in resignation and turned to walk past me, but my hand shot out to close around his wrist. It was smooth and warm beneath my palm.

"Aang..."

"Hm?" His face was closed off.

"Please, don't let my father get to you. He's a good man."

He smiled humourlessly. "It's okay. He's just a touch overprotective, that's all. It's understandable."

"Understandable?" I laughed, "you really have become a diplomat, haven't you?"

He shrugged his broad shoulders. "Comes with the territory. Although, I do have to ask, has he always been like that?"

I thought to our conversation while journeying to the city, how Dad had offered up all those potential suitors with enthusiasm.

"No..." I admitted, "only when it comes to you, actually."

That seemed to surprise him. "Me? Why?"

I bit my lip and let out a slow breath. "He doesn't think you're a good fit for me. He never has." That last part was a revelation even to myself.

Aang was quiet for so long, I had to look up to make sure he was still there. His face held a plethora of emotions, not all of which I could place. There was the obvious mental exhaustion, and confused worry that came along with having to deal with an assassination attempt. But there was something else, something like unhappy acceptance or long-awaited disappointment.

"Aang?" I murmured his name without meaning to. I tried to get a hold of the concern in my voice, turn it friendly rather than desperately concerned. "Aang, please don't think less of him. He's just..."

He caught my gaze. "I don't think less of him. I know why he believes what he does. Any parent would." His smile was devoid of warmth. "The Avatar would make a pretty crappy husband, or wife, all things considered."

"I don't think that's true," I protested, "that's just your built-in self loathing talking."

He snorted and tapped a finger to his temple. "You're not wrong. I've got hundreds of lifetimes worth of it."

I tried to lighten the mood. "Look, it's been a rough day. You shouldn't even have the energy to beat yourself up!"

I watched him try to pull himself together. He wasn't the type to mope for long. I felt reassured until I realized that the half smile on his face was purely for my benefit, to make me feel better.

"S-Stop that." My voice shook. "You've already done enough for me today. I don't need you to fake-smile at me."

He kept staring, lips curled up in that humourless way. I hated the expression. I knew being the Avatar was a difficult, self-sacrificing role on a good day, and impossibly lonesome on a bad one. But I knew it in the way everyone knew that the moon circled the world sky; it was a hazy, second-hand kind of understanding. Aang was the one who had to live with it. Like the moon, there was a mystique about him. People treated him like a celebrity, all the while fearing him like a god. They loved him for his service, and loathed him for his power. I was just another face in the crowd, angry at him for abandoning me for his duty. The thought made me feel selfish and helpless all at the same time.

My father was right. Aang was right. The Avatar wouldn't be the best partner. Other people, normal people, had the luxury of dedicating themselves to only one other person. Aang was already married to the whole world, already fully committed to an immense population whose needs came before his own.

But right now, he didn't look like a saviour. He looked like that small boy who'd awoken a hundred years in the future, only to find all his kin were dead. And, like then, all I wanted now was to wipe that horrible, uncharacteristic look off his face. I stepped towards him. At first he leaned into me, and I took as much comfort in the radiating heat of his body and he did from my arms around him, if not more. Then he pulled away abruptly, as if stung by my touch.

"You don't need fake smiles, and I don't need this," he snapped, voice thick with exhaustion, "Like I said before, I'm not that young kid anymore, Katara. I'm all grown up, and your little hugs are not what I need."

"What _do_ you need?"

Our gazes locked, and I tried so hard to understand the storm in his eyes. "What do you need?" I tried again.

He shook his head.

"Hell, I wish I knew, Katara." He tried to smile again, this time with some meagre success. "When I figure it out, I'll let you know."

He turned to walk away, but I grabbed his arm. "That's it? 'I'll let you know'? That's a blow-off worthy of an Avatar, all right."

"Gods, Katara..." His brows furrowed at his frustrated sigh and he threw his arms up helplessly. "I need to know who tried to kill Kuei. Let's start there, okay? If it wasn't you, then who?"

"I don't know." A question burst from my mouth before I could stop it. "Why... why _didn't_ you think it was me?"

"Would you prefer it if I thought you were guilty?"

"N-No! Of course not! It's just... how were you so sure..?" Much to my dismay, I felt my cheeks heat up.

He blinked, before letting his expression settle into something resembling affectionate exasperation. "Come on, Katara. You think I'd really, even for a second, think you were a mindless killer? If you'd so much as given Kuei a papercut, you'd immediately heal it, and then send a written apology with flowers. You live to please."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I settled for a grumbled, "I'm not that young kid anymore either, you know."

"I guess I'm not the only one who's all grown up," he replied slowly, catching my hand. I felt those tingling shocks run up my arm and I swallowed thickly. Our eyes caught and I felt the space between us charge and crackle with licks of invisible electricity. His fingers twitched across the back of my hand to my wrist, the warmth burning an invisible pattern into my skin.

He exhaled my name and the hairs on the back of my neck rose. I didn't have a word, or a breath. Finally, my lungs began to burn and I let myself inhale shakily. The gesture broke the spell, and he groaned out the syllables like it was causing him physical pain.

"... _Katara_..." He released me and ran a hand through his hair roughly. I pulled, or rather snatched, my arm back, still feeling the heat like I'd been branded. He drew in a ragged breath.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow..?" I asked, somewhat lamely. My head swam in a scalding pool of hormones; the physical reactions shocked me. What _was_ that? And, oh dear spirits, how could I make it _stop_?

He shook his head back and forth, as if to clear his thoughts. I used his diverted eyes to bite down on my tongue sharply, hoping the pain would divert my attention from the distracting way my skin tingled.

Aang nodded. "Yeah, tomorrow. That should be fun."

"Always the diplomat," I mock-sighed, "I was going to say 'overwhelming'."

He chuckled, somewhat genuinely this time. It made my insides squish pleasantly.

"I missed you," he said, ducking his head. "Did I mention that earlier? Something tells me I forgot."

I bobbed my head slowly, trying to control the smile that blossomed on my face. "Yeah, I missed you, too."

And, like magic, that was all the apology we needed.

"Tomorrow, then. Good night, Katara."

"Go on, get some rest. No partying. Overwhelming, remember?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Fun." With that, he opened the front door and slipped outside into the night. I followed him onto the porch and stared up, watching his dark silhouette until it disappeared into the darkness. The guard had kept to the garden, I noted thankfully, and allowed myself a loud sigh, feeling the tension release ever so slightly. I walked back inside, feeling oddly buoyant, like I could take on anything.

My mind buzzed, like I'd had a cup of honeyed wine. The door closed with a quiet click.

The worst was over. Surely things would get better from here on out.

It was only when my body collapsed thankfully on the soft linens of my bed that I remembered what I'd told Leila.

"Oh, _crap_."

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN:_**

Yes, I know what you're thinking. _Where's Zuko? Where's Toph? Didn't you promise that in the last A/N? You suck!_

I know, I'm a terrible author. The thing is, this chapter is freaking huge. Originally, I had a Zuko section at the end, but it felt totally misplaced, like a hasty add-on. Zuko deserves a chapter opener, not just a footnote, and so I pushed his intro into Chapter 8. Yes, Toph's there too. Promise! Also, quite a few people asked me to limit the amount of POVs, as they found it too confusing. So, I did. Can't please everyone, eh? On the upside, the next chapter is already half-written, so you won't have to wait so long for me to get my act together and update. Woo! ... Woo?

Anyway, I'm not feeling super in-love with this chapter, so if you totally despise it, feel free to tell me. Maybe I'll change it. If you liked it, that's awesome, and you should be kind and bolster my frail ego. :/

Thanks for reading! [And reviewing!]

-Kit


	8. Eight: Blind Ambition

A/N: Hello again. I know it has been... a while. More than a while, if we're being totally honest. But after watching the first season of Legend of Korra, I realized that it was a downright shame to leave this story. That and you lovely people have sent me some flattering and insistent PMs, which were a big part of making me come back to ff.n. So, thank you so, so much for your encouragement, your patience and your [hopeful] willingness to forgive my absence.

So, without any further ado, here is the next chapter of...

...

* * *

><p><strong>Foreign Affairs<strong>

_Chapter Eight: Blind Ambition_

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><p><strong>Zuko<strong>

_-000-_

Weeks of travel… for this..?

I scowled at the men seated around me, and then towards the musicians at the foot of the room. Not that their melody was offensive, not at all, but I hadn't come all this way to Ba Sing Se to be serenaded like a blushing schoolgirl.

The dignitary's foot tapped along to the beat, his gaze focused keenly on the quartet of men as they swayed back and forth to their own mellifluous distraction. Distraction, I noted, rather than entertainment. This hour-long concerto was more than just a welcoming ceremony for a foreign royal; it was a smokescreen. The lyre and the flugle horn spun a complicated yet cheerful web of notes, their perhaps overly-loud performance clearly made with the intent of overshadowing my attempts at conversation rather than to serve as polite background noise.

I exhaled my annoyance in a puff of smoke. "Sir Kismot?"

The man started, the ends of his long moustache jumping slightly at my voice, which I'd pitched loud enough to be heard above the music.

"Yes, your Highness..?" His voice was barely audible, as if he wished I wouldn't respond.

"When will I be able to speak with King Kuei?" It was not out of line for me to ask. As monarch to the Fire Nation, it was almost an insult that they'd sent this man, a mere educational overseer, to greet me. And he knew it; I could tell from the sweat beading on his brow. The sun was setting and I was not planning on waiting until the morning to get this formal annoyance out of the way. The man paled and twitched, making his facial hair appear even more alarming, like two little worms wriggling under his nose.

"I, ah, Firelord… You see…" His eyes zipped around to the other four men in the room, as if in the hope that someone would rescue him from my query. They didn't.

"Is something wrong?" I posed, arching an eyebrow at him, knowing the effect was alarming on only one half of my face. Maybe it was cruel of me to make him sweat… Oh well. He'd made me sit here under the pretense of entertainment. It was only fair I returned the favour.

He stood abruptly, his ornate wooden chair making a loud squeaking noise as he pushed it back. The flugle hornist sent him a dirty look.

"O-Of course not! I shall go and inquire if His Majesty is finished with his royal… his royal… duties. My deepest apologies, m'lord."

"You do that," I leveled my stern gaze at the others. They took the hint and within minutes, the room was free of both sound and company.

Well, except for one.

"You're going to give that man a heart attack."

The voice itself made me smile. I turned to look at him out of my good eye.

"You're a great deal older than he. Shouldn't you be more worried about your own heart, Uncle?"

Uncle Iroh grinned from his perch on the windowsill across the room. I wondered casually if he'd scaled the palace wall or simply snuck in during the cacophony.

"You know, nephew, I was enjoying the music. You didn't have to scare everyone away. The palace is already terrified enough of offending you."

The balcony, then. "The palace should be more worried about security than offending me. Can you believe they thought they could hide it from me? Do they think I'm the only one in the city who doesn't know the King was nearly killed?"

He shrugged and stepped gingerly to the floor. He was still a nimble man, but I could tell from the slight wince that the years were taking their toll. He stopped a foot from me and gave me an appraising look.

"You look more like your father than I remember."

I bristled. He held up a hand to stop me from flying off the handle.

"The Earth Kingdom has a long memory, Zuko. You'd do well to treat them gently. You have the face of their nightmares. Changing subconscious unease takes time and patience."

I groaned. "Lessons already, Uncle? I haven't seen you for a year and the first thing you say-"

"-Is how glad I am to see you." And with that he wrapped his arms around me. I smiled against his shoulder.

"And I, you, Uncle." I pulled back. "But you really should be more careful. With this assassination attempt, they might've shot you off the wall."

He shrugged. "An old man like me has no fear left." Then he laughed, a great bellyful chuckle that made me feel wistful, and patted me on the back.

"Come, sit with me. Tell me how that indomitable wife of yours is doing. Haven't you given her a child yet? And where is the Firelady, nephew?"

I felt my expression darken. Mai. There was a complicated situation, one that I was sure Uncle's 'timely' wisdom could not correct. I chose a different issue to deal with.

"Not now, Uncle. We have plenty of time to catch up later. Right now, how about we do some nostalgic sneaking and find out what has happened here?" I tried to appear casual, and not as if distracting him with a performance of my own. "I know you must miss it, or else you would've just come through the palace doors like the respectful businessman that you are."

He gave me a look that promised further discussion. "I don't know, nephew… We are not fugitives anymore. There is a protocol to follow."

"Come on, Dragon of the West, don't tell me your tea shop has transformed you into a Kitten of the East."

Uncle chuckled. "Sometimes I think it has. But you, nephew, you will always have a bit of the Blue Spirit in you."

I winced at the reference. Mai had said something similar, but with a less flattering intent. I pictured her beautiful, pale face, twisted in anger.

_"You get that part, Zuko. I never denied you your freedom. But what about _my_ freedom? You expect me to just sit here, behave, give you children? You sound like my father. I never wanted that life…"_

The last I'd heard of her since…

No. Not now. I promised myself I'd give her time.

Uncle must've seen the turn of my expression, but wisely chose not to question me on it. He gestured to a red enamel trunk I'd brought with me, the one thing I insisted on unpacking myself.

"You have something less… royally conspicuous?" He asked, eyes wrinkling and sparkling in the same way they always did.

I managed a smirk. "Oh, Uncle. Who do you think you're talking to?"

* * *

><p>Turns out, we needn't have snuck about at all. Every face we encountered immediately turned down in respect and scurried by.<p>

I was Fire Lord, leader of the most powerful nation on the planet, and son of the man who had tried to destroy said planet.

And everyone worth talking to was _ignoring_ me.

My first reaction was to be affronted, but that was quickly doused by the incredible relief that followed. Everyone was ignoring me... And it felt kind of wonderful.

Oh, I was well aware that the actual circumstances were far from uplifting. The king had suffered an assassin. 'Suffered an assassin,' was what everyone kept whispering in hushed tones, as if an attempt on one's life was no worse than a common cold. Kuei had survived, which was something I'd not expected of him. The last I'd saw, the king had been a shaky, self important young man with an ignorance and innocence that knew no bounds. He'd had a good heart, but what would that do against an assassin, besides to spill so much 'good' blood onto the floor? How had he fought off the attacker? Had six years on the road changed him that much?

I was no stranger to assassination attempts. Only eight months ago a man in black had snuck into my bedchamber, intent on murdering Mai and I as we slept.

The man obviously had no intelligence on my wife. She went ahead and killed him first, without bothering to wake me.

The thought brought a slight smirk to my lips. Mai was such a considerate woman. Of course our current circumstances were far from perfect, what with her "vacationing" away from the Fire Nation palace. Away from me… I shook my head. Be in the present, Zuko. My uncle's words, not mine. For once, I chose to follow his advice.

I'd last set foot in the Royal Palace two years ago, and even then it had felt like the only thing holding the place together had been pride and tradition. A palace without a king was a sad, hollow thing to behold, and I hadn't wanted to linger here. Now, however, the halls teemed with life, and even the structure itself seemed to have taken on a second wind. Pages ran to and fro, maesters shuffled by, intent on their destinations. King Kuei had returned only four months ago, but clearly his reinstatement had made an impression on the wildlife.

We slunk down an empty side hall, our destination still vague. It felt good just to be out without half a dozen escorts. We were both dressed in nondescript black cloaks, not distinct enough to be suspicious, but made of fine enough material so as to not suggest vagabond. I was under no delusion that we remained unnoticed; I'm sure several guards had reported our course to the appropriate parties. I didn't care. If someone wanted to confront us on our palace wanderings, so be it. If not, well, we could very easily entertain ourselves. I _think_ we were headed towards the Great Hall, but it had been a while and my estimations could very well have been off. Uncle didn't seem to mind my lack of direction. He was… different, I noted. Something had changed in the year since he'd last visited me in the Fire Palace, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Strange…" Uncle murmured, keeping his head down.

"What is it?" I asked, quiet despite the fact that no one seemed to be paying us any mind.

"Look over there." He directed me to one of the many suits of primitive armor that lined the hallway we were approaching. I couldn't imagine ever wearing such a thing; the weight of it would be more of a hamper to my bending than a help. They must have been used for battles between regular men centuries ago. They were purely decorative now, a testament to a more violent past.

"The armor, Uncle?"

"Mmhmm. The third suit."

I shifted my gaze to focus on the middle carapace. It was almost comically bulky, even compared to the others which were massive and clunky. Trusting Uncle's instincts, I waited.

I felt myself tense. _There! _The arm on the suit twitched! I paused. Yes, again! The lower arm plates were clearly moving, as if the suit of armor had a life of its own.

"Zuko," Uncle motioned, "the assassin might-"

"-Be using the armor for a hiding place. I know." How had I not noticed it before him? Maybe I hadn't given my Uncle enough credit. His eyes clearly had only improved with age. Once again, he had proved I still had more to learn.

We took our old positions: me for the head-on confrontation. Uncle, waiting in the wings for the surprise attack. My heart pounded, revealing how eager I was for a good fight. Being the Firelord made finding exciting combat hard to come by. For a brief moment, I understood my father's eagerness for war.

I stepped towards the armor as if only passing by. I eyed it carefully, looking for the clasps that would open it to reveal whoever was hiding inside. My brow furrowed. There wasn't any…

"Psssst!"

I froze.

"Psssssst!"

I shot my head back, looking to see if Uncle was… he too, stood still, head cocked.

"Uncle?" I hissed, slightly annoyed that he would be so conspicuous. "What is it?"

He shrugged and shook his head, his figure appearing oddly old to me in the dim light.

"Heeeeyyy…" The voice was muffled. It was coming from… the suit? I spun, hands cocked, ready to release a fire blast if necessary, all caution forgotten.

"Zuko!" Uncle called, but before I could respond, there was this odd stretching noise, a cross between a tomcat's whine and a clang of swords.

"Hey there."

I blinked. In the space where there had been a expanse of steel helmet, there was now a pale face with eyes that housed irises so light a gray they were practically translucent.

"Name yourself," I growled, stance still hostile, vaguely aware of how uptight I sounded.

"Oh geez." The suit huffed, a sound which I now identified as a high-pitched female voice. "Relax, your flamey-ness. It's me." That screeching sound echoed in the empty hall and more of the face revealed itself. In fact, the full front half of the suit seemed to melt away into the wall. Green fabric replaced it and a small, thin figure with a shock of raven hair stepped out into the candlelight.

Uncle began to chuckle. I failed to see what was so funny about a young woman emerging from an antique suit of armor.

"Hello again, young one," he called. The figure turned, grinning enthusiastically.

"Funny seeing you here, old man."

"Life is full of little surprises, isn't it?" He returned cheerfully. "You gave us quite the start. We thought you were an assassin."

She shrugged, thin shoulders bobbing carelessly. "Not today."

"Who are you?" I demanded, annoyed at feeling out of what was obviously an inside acquaintance.

"You don't recognize me?" She smiled mischievously, still refusing to meet my gaze. "C'mon, Zuko, really?"

I squinted, trying to catch her eyes and failing. Why wouldn't this tiny creature look at me?

Uncle took a few steps toward us. "How have you been, Miss? It's been a while since you've been to visit me at the shop. I thought maybe you'd lost your taste for my roasted jasmine mao feng."

She laughed, a twinkling girlish lilt that seemed at odds with the rough metalbending display she'd just given. I tried to make sense of it. Uncle was… friends with this small person who'd just ripped a hole through a four-inch thick steel suit..?

"Not a chance!" She grinned. "I've been busy. I'm trying to teach the lunkheads in this city how to bend a spoon."

My head cocked back and forth between the two. "… Uncle?"

He gave me a disappointed look. "Nephew, you don't remember our talented young friend?" She tilted her head, gaze still unfocused, a half-mocking smile on her lips.

With a jolt, I realized why this young woman was so unwilling to look upon me. How dense was I? How many metalbending blind girls were there in the world?

"Toph Bei Fong," I sighed, my brain still a little shocked at the change since I'd seen her two years ago. I remembered a young, mouthy, somewhat unwashed blind girl with a talent for earthbending and for pissing everyone off. What I saw now was no reflection of that memory. Well, with the exception of pissing me off. I was more than a little abashed that she'd caught me off-guard.

"Bingo," she clicked her tongue at me. "And here I was, just about to be insulted."

"My apologies. I was a little distracted by the armour that you were… living in?" I tried to recover my expression of shock into something more… royal, very aware of my failure in that endeavor. Ugh. I hated surprises.

She huffed. "Hardly. I was using it as cover. I'm trying to catch a killer here, since no one else seems to be overly concerned with the idea."

"Oh, believe me, we're concerned." I coughed. "It's, uh, nice to see you again."

"I'd say the same, but, hey, blind girl here." She pointed to her face. "Sorry to startle you, but you two have some very distinct vibrations and I thought I'd say hello rather than just watch you all creepster-like."

I made a face. "Uh… Thank you?"

She snorted. "Haven't loosened up much, have you?"

Uncle chuckled. "To be fair, Miss Bei Fong, you did just pop out of a metal man. It's a little disconcerting."

The girl snorted, a sound that made me flash back to the young girl with the big attitude from years ago. This was, aesthetically, a grand adjustment. She was dressed in a man's green trousers, but she didn't have the same tomboyish hunched stance and her knotty mop of hair now formed a shiny black bob that sat calmly around her head without aid of a headband. She cocked her head to the right, as if listening, but I figured it was more probable that she was feeling the vibrations from beneath her feet.

"Speaking of disconcerting, there's a small contingent of guards coming this way, and two folks with wimpy highborn slippers. These little lords love to gossip. Could be juicy." She arched her arms and flicked her fingers outward. The metal suit hissed, and then the two steel shells to the left of hers creaked open. She grinned.

"Care to join me? Eavesdropping is more fun with company."

Uncle and I exchanged glances. Voluntarily trap ourselves in metal, at the mercy of a girl I remember to have a rather severe sadistic streak..? My instincts screamed that this was a bad idea, and certainly not something a Fire Nation royal should be doing.

"Come on," she hissed, "I don't have time for a full tribunal to discuss the pros and cons. You two are probably trying to avoid the royal welcoming throng, so you're either in or you're busted."

Uncle started towards the furthest suit, sucking in his gut to slip into the shadows of the armor. It was clearly made for a smaller man, but Toph helped him out by stretching out the midsection with a quick turn of her tiny fist.

"Uncle, what are you doing? I-we-can't-"

"Are you a Kitten of the East, nephew?"

Toph followed up with a gruff, "Shit or get off the pot, Your Lordiness."

My head swung back and forth. I could hear a ruckus coming down the hallway. I glared at the open suit.

"Oh god dammit," I swore, stepping awkwardly into the metal tomb.

Toph laughed quietly. "That's more like it!"

And with that, the steel closed around my head and everything went black. No, not black. It took my eyes a moment to adjust, but there was light coming from three tiny slits, which unfortunately were two inches higher than my line of sight. I tried to lift myself onto my tiptoes, but there wasn't a lot of wiggle room in here. The suit smelled like rust and ancient sweat. I tried to squelch my unease; claustrophobia was not becoming of a firelord. My father's smirk blazed before my eyes, the same expression that haunted my sleepless nights. _Not a Firelord_, it mocked, _you're still a scared, scarred boy…_

I ignored it, like I usually did, choosing instead to focus intently on the sound of footsteps. I tried to count, unsure of my accuracy. Four guards, it sounded like, their heavy boots stomping gracelessly. And two others, like Toph had said. I tensed, straining my ears. Gods, how did she do this every day? Not being able to see was infuriating.

"-cannot believe he would dare ignore my summons." A voice, angry.

One higher-pitched male voice responded. "Indeed. It's very untoward, m'lord. You're so right. Completely unacceptable." I rolled my eyes at the sycophantic tone. One lord whining to his underling. Great. This was Toph's grand scheme? Eavesdropping on daily court bitching? I got enough of this at home.

"I mean, just because he's the Avatar, he thinks he can do as he pleases… I am on the Council of Ten. It's not like I'm some pathetic cabbage merchant begging for a visit."

That got my attention.

"You're right, of course, Sir Heiwa. It is inexcusable."

What was? My impatience flared. What had Aang done to upset this man? Did it pertain to the assassination attempt?

"First he plays with my daughter's head and now he's supposedly off doing god knows what with that waterbending tramp. My wife said the other girls are saying rather unbecoming things about my darling Leila."

The underling paused. "She seemed in… rather good spirits earlier…"

The lord snorted. "That's because she's a twit worthy of her mother's name. She thinks being scorned by the Avatar gives her some kind of distinction amongst her peers. She doesn't understand when she's being insulted, when her family is being insulted." Their voices started to fade as they walked past. I strained my ears, curiosity getting the better of me. Aang had lady troubles? _Aang_? I stifled an amused snort, which apparently wasn't stifled enough because even the tiny noise seemed to echo loudly in this goddamn metal cage.

"What was that?" Sir Heiwa's footsteps froze, as did his escort's. I swore silently.

"I heard it too, m'lord. Should I call for more guards?"

Everything was very, very quiet for a moment. I tried not to breathe, which in turn made my unease at being in this small space even greater. My father's face sniggered at me. _You're weak_, it insisted, _hiding like a child_. Again, I tuned it out as best I could without moving.

Something creaked to the left of me. Uncle…

"I heard it that time!" The lackey nearly shrieked. "What if it's the assassin?"

"Or it could be a molerat, you fool." Heiwa scoffed. "I doubt the Lady Katara is back to finish the job. She's probably too busy in bed with the Avatar at the moment."

My eyes widened. Was that true, or simply a spurned man's bitterness? I knew they'd had a thing when we were younger, but still? It sent an odd icy jolt down my spine, the source of which I couldn't pinpoint. I shoved the thought aside. It was none of my business who Aang spent his nights with. But, still, I couldn't picture Katara...

A small gasp from the junior man. "M'lord. You shouldn't talk this way. If the wrong people heard you… The Council has already issued her a Royal Pardon."

"I'm well aware of that." The lord's voice seemed emboldened, for some reason I couldn't understand. "Guards, leave us."

"B-But Sir Heiwa…" A third voice, gruff yet uncertain.

"Leave us!"

A scuff of boots. "Go with them, Loniss. I don't want to watch you piss yourself."

An audible gulp. "A-As you wish, m'lord." He skittered after the guards all too willingly. My brow furrowed. What was this lord doing? What was he trying to achieve by leaving his watchdogs behind? Maybe he had just tired of being trailed. I understood the feeling. I'm sure he would just wait a moment and then be on his way.

"I know you're there."

I stiffened at his voice. How could he know we were hiding here? Were we somehow visible?

His voice grew quieter. "Don't bother revealing yourself. It's too sensitive right now. The palace is on high-alert, and will probably be so for some time." He paused. "But, just know, you are not alone. There are those of us who think what you did was… commendable. If you had only succeeded, well, you wouldn't have to be hiding right now."

I was confused only for a moment. He thought… he thought the assassin was… I scowled. Aang hadn't been exaggerating in his letter. Relations in the Earth Kingdom capital clearly were just as tenuous as he had described, more so if a member of the Council wanted Kuei dead enough to try contacting the assassin.

"I just thought you might want to know. I don't know who you and your benefactor are, but I'm sure we will meet face-to-face soon enough."

And with that, he turned on his heels and walked away.

A few minutes, which felt like hours, later, there was a familiar screeching and the front popped off the suit of armor with a graceless clank. I blinked at the brightness of the hallway, inhaling fresh air, eyes adjusting to see pale skin and green robes. Her small, tough hands clung to the steel at the sides of the metal man like it was mere fabric. I stared into the earthbender's pale, sightless eyes. Her expression was grim, but her mouth twitched as if she was trying to force a smile.

"Well, that was interesting."

Uncle emerged a second later, coughing lightly. "I believe that would be an understatement, Miss Bei Fong."

My mouth set in a hard line. "We need to talk to Aang."

* * *

><p><strong>Katara<strong>

_-000-**  
><strong>_

Oh dear lord.

Sometimes, I wish I could just shut my brain off. Completely and totally off. At least when I was asleep, my mind couldn't obsess and fantasize and worry- Oh wait. Yes, it could. If anything, my mind went wild at night, in my dreams… Aang…

God damn useless frustrating dreams! How did my subconscious think it was helpful to me to replay every detail of last night in slow motion, to embellish on secret wishes and transform the encounter from merely confusing and pleasant to nearly pornographic in nature? All he did was hug me, and touch my hand. So there may have been a tiny promise in his eyes, but how did my imagination turn that into a late night rendezvous on my balcony? His hands felt so real in my dreams…

But now, now I was awake. Awake and feeling… unsettled. I sat up in bed, running my hands over the knots in my dark hair. Early morning sun streamed in through the window. I inhaled deeply, hoping the reality of the air would distract me from the fantasy of the airbender. It didn't.

What it did was alert me to the pleasant smells of cooked food coming from downstairs. Had my father made breakfast? Perhaps this was an attempted apology for his outburst last night? I never took him for an overprotective parent. If anything, he gave me as much freedom as I wanted. The juxtaposition of our conversation as we travelled on Appa and his reaction to Aang last night made my head spin. I'd always thought he'd liked the Avatar, respected him. Did he object so strongly to any relationship between us? Not that there was one, not a real one anyway. Just in my scandalous dreams, and in the heads of every resident of Ba Sing Se. Reality was less romantic, as always.

I resisted the strong urge to flop back down in bed and surrender myself to the covers. All I wanted was some peace. Peace of mind, peace of heart, peace of life. But then, I'd had peace at the South Pole. Didn't I come here because I wanted resolution? A true peace as opposed to one built of denial and unresolved issues?

No one ever tells you the truth about growing up: that doing the adult thing often feels like hell.

I soldiered into the bath, dutiful and responsible. I dressed in my least revealing dress. I combed my hair, twisting the loops into place on the sides of my head. I didn't wear what Sokka dubbed my 'hair loopies' often, only when I felt I needed to channel that younger, stronger version of myself. Silly, perhaps, but I was so turned around that I clung to anything that gave me a sense of normalcy.

Yes, there were things to deal with. Aang, the Earth King, rumours, murder, the lies I told… But first. Food. At least I would have a peaceful meal before taking on the world. I walked down the stairs, surprised at how odd it felt to descend floors when I was so used to single-level snow dwellings.

"Good morning, Katara."

My head shot up. Two figures sat at the table. My father, looking well-rested with a neutral expression on his lined face, and… Aang. It took nearly all my will power not to pull a one-eighty and run back to my bed. No, not the bed; my dreams flashed all too vividly behind my eyes. Maybe I could jump out the nearest window… It took me a minute to realize that staying perfectly still to avoid being seen only worked for large mammalian predators, not humans.

I smiled weakly. "G-Good morning…"

"You look flushed, Katara," my father said, "are you feeling all right?" I shot him a look. He knew perfectly well I wasn't all right, damn him. I forced a bland expression and shrugged.

"Just washed my face, that's all." I approached the table. "Do I smell breakfast?"

Aang, looking freshly scrubbed himself, stood from his seat and moved to pull out a chair for me.

"You do. I thought I'd come by so your Dad and I could have a talk, and I offered to make breakfast, as an apology. Robin turtle eggs with a side of bacon and roasted turnips."

My eyebrows rose. Aang had cooked? Aang had cooked _meat_? What did it mean?

Dad laughed. "You look as shocked as I was when I answered the door this morning."

I stared back and forth between them. Aang nudged a plate towards me, as if it was a way out of responding. I smiled gratefully and took a bite. I was a little surprised; it was _good._

"So…" They both started at the same time. My father nodded towards him.

"You first."

Aang shook his head. "No, by all means, you should tell her."

I swallowed. What was happening here? Weren't these two nearly biting each others' heads off last night? I couldn't see how a few cooked eggs could cause such a polite turnaround. My dad took a large bite and chewed happily.

Then again, a way to a man's daughter is through his stomach…

"Well, Katara," Aang smiled, his eyes twinkling, "I think we've figured out how to get around this whole mess. Well, the rumour part anyway. The assassination will still need a proper investigation, but… I have a plan." He reached across to touch my fingers with a softness that surprised me. Again, that electricity shot up my arm and there would be no mistaking my pink face for anything but a reaction to his touch, which of course made me redden even more for my transparency. Dad snorted.

"You're going to make one hell of a blushing bride, kiddo."

I thank the gods I didn't have a mouthful of bacon. It would've sprayed all over the Avatar's face.

"EXCUSE ME?"

I snatched my hand back. Aang winced.

"I told you she wouldn't take it well, Hakoda…"

"Take WHAT well?" I snapped.

"Your wedding," Dad sighed, as blandly as if he was mentioning the weather.

"My… wedding. It's a little early for bad jokes." I took another bite, not really tasting it this time.

Aang certainly didn't look like he found this funny. He fidgeted in his seat, a gesture so familiar I felt my chest constrict.

"It's no joke," Dad sighed. "Apparently Aang here thinks it's a good idea. That's what he came to talk to me about."

I nearly choked again. I stared across the table, eyes wide. Aang had come to ask my father… for my… hand..? The pit dropped out of my stomach.

"You-You said you were worried about your honour," he began, "so I figured…"

"You figured you'd M-MARRY ME?" I sputtered.

It was Aang's turn to blush. "N-Not exactly! Not for real!"

I stared at my father.

"Explain. Now."

He shook his head. "This clearly isn't my plan. I'm not exactly jumping for joy, but the boy does have an… interesting notion."

I could not believe this. "So what, you figured since the rest of the world thinks I'm spoiled goods, that I need to be married off as soon as possible? This isn't even funny. This isn't-isn't-" I jumped from the table. "How could you just-"

"Katara, hold on!" Aang burst in. "It's all part of my plan!"

"How nice for you," I snapped, "thanks for asking me! But I'm afraid that I don't feel like being treated like chattel today. Try again next week." To be honest, I was letting the rage take full control of my voicebox. The idea of being married to Aang was one that filled me with a confusing anticipation I was not prepared to deal with. I bared down on my father.

"What, nothing to say? You've changed your mind about giving him your blessing then?" My voice was sharp as an ice blade. He simply stared up at me. I didn't like that glint in his eyes, like my response was telling him something he'd been dying to know.

"I have to say," he mused, "this is a much more reassuring reaction than I was expecting."

Aang shot him a confused look, which soon turned to one of grim understanding. My head swung back and forth between them. What was going on here?

"It is. too early. for this," I grumbled, my syllables stunted as my resolution to do the adult thing fragmented pitifully. "I'm going back to bed."

"Katara, just listen." Aang's voice took on a deeper, more authoritative quality. I hadn't heard it before. It made me sit back down slowly, although I clenched the edge of the table with enough force for it to creak in complaint.

"I'm not proposing we actually get married for real, Katara," he sighed, a resolution of his own setting behind his eyes, "although it's nice to know the idea is so very repellant to you."

"It is indeed," Dad chipped in, seeming more cheerful than he had any right to be.

I scowled at both of them, sullenly poking my egg with an overly polished silver spoon. It reflected my face back at me, distorting my frown comically. I scowled at it, too.

"I figured that we, that _you_," he emphasized, "could use the pretence of a wedding to explain why you were with me yesterday afternoon. It covers your honour, and we can just call it off later. No harm done."

"Yeah right," I grumbled, aware that I wasn't sounding at all like myself. "Because if this rumour spread like wildfire, a _wedding _would be totally forgotten in a matter of minutes… And in case you can't tell, I'm being _sarcastic_."

Aang ignored me. "It's more than that, Katara. It's all a part of my bigger plan for catching the damned assassin." He shot a look to Dad. "If you'll excuse my language, sir."

He snorted again. "Damned seems like an appropriate word. I would've gone with 'fucked', though."

My mouth dropped open in astonishment. "Dad!"

He shrugged. "You're a big girl, Katara. Your old man is a sailor, so of course he knows how to swear like one."

I blinked. My father's conduct was surprising. Why was he behaving this way, like he didn't care one way or another? Ever since the war ended, he'd always gone out of his way to show how much he'd cared for me. Maybe it was his way of making up for being gone for most of my childhood. But it was like he'd went to bed my father and woken up a different man. Was it Aang's presence that was doing this? I filed that concern away for later. Add it to the rest.

"How do you figure our fake wedding would catch an assassin, Aang? Are you going to write a city-wide invitation to all female waterbenders? Because, I hate to break it to you, but I doubt that will work…"

"You think the person who tried to frame you for Kuei's attempted murder wouldn't want to take another crack at you in a public way?" He folded his hands together on the table. "I've been thinking about this all night. This person didn't kill the king. She could have, there was nothing stopping her. The guards were all either unconscious or dead. And yet she didn't finish the job."

"Maybe she thought she had?" Dad considered.

"But why wouldn't she make sure?" Aang shook his head. "No, she knew he would survive. The wound wasn't even that serious. It was like she was sending a message. She didn't hide her face. This was clearly a set up. For whatever reason, she wanted everyone to think Katara was the one who killed those guards. It was a political statement; I've spent enough time in this damned city to recognize that much."

Dad gave Aang an appraising look. "I think I agree with you."

I sat still for a moment. "The High Inquisitor never told me how they died. The four guards, that is."

Dad tensed. "Honey, you don't need to hear that." I stared numbly at the bowl of pears in the centre of the table, resting in an elaborately carved wooden bowl.

"I need to know. It might help me identify the assassin. Water-bending techniques can be very personal."

Aang nodded slowly, and then told me in slow, steady, impersonal statements. I tried to absorb the facts, without imagining the faces. Ice blade, suffocation, stabbing. I knew my eyes were prickling, but I couldn't stop it.

"Those are all common bending moves," I managed, "except for the water ball. I'd never even considered drowning someone like that."

"Of course you haven't, Katara." A hand rested over mine. I hadn't realized my fist was clenched until I felt his fingers brush my knuckles. I raised my gaze to meet Aang's. His face was calm, but his eyes were full of anger and sadness. Had he known the guards? Oh, gods, I hadn't even asked. I was suddenly ashamed of my reaction to his plan. Here I was thinking he was pulling some kind of childish prank when in reality he just wanted to catch this killer. How selfish could I be?

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my father watching us. Part of me, the rebellious part, wanted to spring into this plan whole-heartedly, if only just to shock him back to his normal self. But the other part, the part that truly cared about Aang, and about the future, resisted. And yet… This plan… could it work? Could I play this game, without giving away how much it mattered to me? Oh gods, and the lie I'd told Sir Heiwa's daughter… How could I reconcile that with this? How insulted would Aang be? I bit my lip. Well, at least if he was fake-marrying me, he had to stick around to hear me explain…

At the very least, this ruse would buy me time to figure out my feelings for the Avatar. Maybe I could pull it off.

And maybe sheep-pigs could fly.

I exhaled deeply, almost totally sure what I was about to say would condemn me to some kind of hell reserved for manipulative women and bad daughters.

"Well, since you've already got Dad's blessing and everything…"

Both men's eyes widened. I shrugged, shoving my fear and anticipation down as far as I could.

A smile started to emerge on Aang's face, a smile that was filled with… triumph..? My head spun.

Well, I'd wanted a resolution to the relationship, hadn't I?

… Hadn't I?

"What the hell?" I hoped my expression was taken as a conspirator's grin rather than a petrified grimace.

"Let's… let's get hitched." 

* * *

><p>AN:

Hehe! It's good to be back. Feels like I've met up with an old friend I'd forgotten was so fun! Please, pretty please, let me know if you enjoyed the chapter, and if not, how you think I could improve my writing style! Reviews do matter to me, very much. I'm a creature who thrives on feedback, I'm not ashamed to admit it. ;)

I'll have the next chapter up soon! Much love to you all. Again, thanks for your patience!


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